


In the Dark of Day

by Slingblade125



Series: The Darkest Knight Series [1]
Category: Batman (Movies - Nolan), Batman - All Media Types, Batman Begins (2005), Dark Knight (2008), Dark Knight Rises (2012)
Genre: Action/Adventure, BatCat, Drama & Romance, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Nolanverse, Sexual Content, TDKR
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-07
Updated: 2014-02-22
Packaged: 2018-01-11 12:12:08
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 22
Words: 47,867
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1172920
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Slingblade125/pseuds/Slingblade125
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Bat and the Cat find each other in a post Bane Gotham City. Gordon's troubles are just beginning as Bane's men scatter and federal forces begin their own military occupation of Gotham City. Fox remains unconvinced of Bruce Wayne's demise while a distraught Alfred leaves the city for Florence. With the Wayne fortune lost what future awaits Gotham City's greatest son?<br/>All rights to the original story/characters go to Christopher Nolan, Warner Brothers, Batman Begins/Dark Knight DC Comics - Originally published: 8/21/2012 -</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

"Wayne? Bruce Wayne?" Gordon was left speechless.

Selina watched the police commissioner stagger back from the black aircraft, as its engines fired to life. The bone-chilling guttural roar that accompanied the violent takeoff shook the ground. The surrounding buildings shuddered and trembled in the wake of the launch.

Selina sympathized with them. _They were not the only things that had been shaken off their foundations. A kiss and then he was gone._

The wings were silhouetted against the light brick of an old foundry building and Selina snarled her lip into a smile as she admired the ugly lines of the craft. 'The 'Bat's' dark, dirty design reinforced that it was truly a child of the night, a winged demon created solely for its nocturnal utility. Now, thrust into the unforgiving light of day, it seemed almost surreal to see it navigating through the city, rising between the buildings like a giant vampire bat.

The engines complained mightily as Bruce fought for altitude while stabilizing the extra bulk of the nuclear device. The craft pulled unsteadily away from the heart of Gotham, trailing the deadly cargo in its wake.

"Too low," she heard her own voice moan out the words as she watched the craft attempting to climb above the towering buildings of Gotham. Selina flinched involuntarily as a barrage of missiles launched into the Gotham skyline. Brick and glass rained down on the streets as the shuddering craft navigated through the slim passage forged by its weapons. Thick black smoke cloaked the vehicle for a few moments before it burst free over the canal.

"He's got it, he's got it," Gordon breathed out, his voice hoarse with emotion. It was with intensifying personal grief that Gordon watched the dark craft streak past the breakwater and power out over the open ocean.

The engines redlined, the needles on the gauges buried deep into the critical level as 'the Bat' streaked out to sea. Every second that passed allowed it to pull further away from the densely populated city.

Citizens lined the shore to watch the events unfold. Cheers reverberated through the city as its inhabitants bore witness to the Batman's final act of heroic self-sacrifice. Batman had once again stood between Gotham and her destruction.

Gordon choked out a sound of pain as he watched the craft receding in the distance. The man piloting that craft was the man who had saved the life of his son. He had been the only person Gordon had been able to look to and trust… his one true ally in a city filled with corruption. The Batman was giving everything and the world would never know the truth. They would never know the true sacrifice it took to be the man behind the mask. They would never know that it was Bruce Wayne that had saved Gotham city.

A blinding flash of light on the horizon eclipsed the light of the sun. Gordon sucked in a ragged breath as the sound of the explosion rolled in from the distance. It seemed to arrive carried on the waves of the surf. Around him the cheers for Batman continued, even as the orange cloud mushroomed across the horizon.

Selina made no move to look away from the blinding flash of the detonation. She didn't bother to shield her eyes against the falling ash and debris from the exploded buildings. She just stood silent and still and watched the Batman die again.

Her mind flashed to the night she lead him through the tunnels to Bane. She had convinced herself that he had a chance despite her betrayal. She watched him slicing through the shadows, watching his power and agility as he cut down the sentry guards with practiced ease. He was beyond formidable; he was the Batman after all. She convinced herself then that he would be able to hold his own, even against the power of Bane. Selina swallowed against the tightness choking her throat. She refused to allow the painful lie to play itself out again… not now. Bruce deserved better than that lie.

The truth was, because of her, the Batman had never stood a chance. They were ready for him, lying in wait for him. When the trap was sprung she stood behind that fence and watched as Bruce Wayne was nearly beaten to death.

 _I thought he was dead… I stood by and watched it all happen. I just stood there and I did nothing…_ The overwhelming disgust and shame Selina felt at her actions now competed with the stabbing reality that this time there was no chance to make it right. Bruce was gone. There was no lie she could put between herself and that truth.  _Truth..._ Truth was to become her punishment. Facing the truth of what she had done. Facing the truth of what she had become when she made the decision to sell him out to save her own skin. She was doomed to carry those truths like an albatross on her soul forever.

Selina would have to own that punishment, but she didn't have to be alone in her hell.

As the bomb detonated her expression turned dark. Her heart blew away like the ash in the air, scattering among the drifting snowflakes. _No, I am not going to be the only one punished here. There is plenty of blame to go around._ "Anyone that had a hand in this... anyone that profited from it… anyone that contributed to his death… all of them. No one is walking away from this."

She had not realized that she said the words aloud until Gordon turned to her, unshed tears still bright in his eyes, "Not one of them," he vowed quietly beside her.

x

 

xx Special Thanks to Cheed - For Editing this Story! xx


	2. Chapter 2

 

Jim Gordon and Selina Kyle stood in silence, their eyes never leaving the area where sea and sky seemed to have come together in a monumental eruption of chemical fire.

The stark hard edges of the smoke plume stood defiant on the horizon for what seemed like an eternity. The terrifying sight of a giant mushroom cloud looming in the distance was a sickening monument to the murderous power commanded by man. Eventually the hard edges of the smoke tower did succumb to the unrelenting influence of the wind. The smoke was swept up into an amazing backdrop of cloudy swirls.

The sky's beauty was doubled as its mirror image reflected up from the glassy surface of the ocean. It was breath taking... mesmerizing. Watching the transformation was like watching an artist applying brush strokes to a canvas. The sun dipped lower and the natural reds and oranges of the evening sunset intensified and reflected off the smoke. The color hues were so vivid and powerful that it was nearly painful to behold. The entire sky looked to be on fire and the reflective ocean seemed to be made of lava.

Gordon's voice was measured in volume and cadence when he spoke, "I have swept away your sins like a cloud. I have scattered your offenses like the morning mist. Return to me, for I have paid the price to set you free."

Selina did not trust her voice to speak right away. She retreated inside herself, hugging her arms protectively across her chest. Eventually she found her control and attempted to ground herself back in the moment. She looked around them and realized that hours must have passed since the bomb had detonated. Dazed, Selina refocused and scanned the area again. Dozens of police and fire volunteers had cordoned off the dock, civilians had been removed, and news crews were being held at back at the access roads by military troops.

"Gordon...?" Her voice was unsure and Selina had to resist moving closer to him as she fought down panic. _Holy hell...The military had rolled through the blockades, armed soldiers were at every intersection. Had I been catatonic? There is a freaking tank sitting in the middle of the street for Christ's sakes._

Helicopters thundered behind them along the darkened skyline. Selina searched Gordon's face, "Gordon." Her voice was stronger and his name was no longer spoken as a question, but as a demand that he respond.

The police Commissioner sighed deeply and rubbed his hands against his face, noting the numbness of his chilled cheeks. Sliding his fingers under the ever-present eyeglasses, he pushed them up to his forehead with practiced ease and dug the heels of his palms into his eyes. They felt like burned out sockets. _How long since I slept last?_   When he heard her voice, he readjusted his glasses again and took one last look across the bay. He felt her eyes on his face and turned to meet her gaze directly.

"What now?" Her voice held mild annoyance and more than a little confusion as she asked the question of him.

He considered the options, "First thing, Bane." I don't know how we are going to—"

"Dead," Selina interrupted him coldly. "I killed him myself."

His cheek twitched at her response and he reserved an expression of relief. _Now was not the time._ Gordon continued to tick off his priorities. "We have to collect Bane's remaining soldiers and search the tunnel system. We have to find Scarecrow. This is the second time he has been in the middle of things in Gotham. Now I am betting he wasn't a key player, but, he did play a part in all of this. He has to be a priority; he is too unpredictable to be left at large for long. The Falcone organization is another place to address. There were at least eight of his enforcers present at Scarecrow's kangaroo court. I saw them talking to men wearing jackets from the concrete company that Daggett operated."

Gordon ran a quick hand through his hair, "I have to get to the evidence locker downtown and find the computer transactions that were used to process those trades under Wayne's name. My men looked through them, but weren't able to break the codes. If we are able to follow the money trail we will eventually uncover the power players that backed the jobs..." He hesitated, "That part might be right up your alley."

Selina looked at him and snorted a sarcastic response, "So we are headed to police plaza? Will we be taking the tank or the helicopter?" Her eyes flicked over the conglomeration of emergency vehicles. She felt utterly exposed as she and Gordon stood overlooking the scene; suddenly she was acutely aware of the many eyes that were on them. She shivered involuntarily and this time she did slide closer to him.

Gordon had spent enough years on the force that he could see through a tough guy act, no matter how beautiful the actress. He straightened his shoulders as he considered the woman beside him. _She isn't him. She isn't the Batman._ He reminded himself that she didn't need to be. _She doesn't have his resources, but she was plenty resourceful. She didn't have his physical strength, but she is strong in her own right._

As she shivered again in the cold, it was hard not to think of her as a woman first. _She was likely in shock. At the very least she was hurting... she lost a friend today too._ The typical male response demanded that he comfort her, wrap her in his coat, and lead her to the protection and security of a warm vehicle. Luckily, Gotham PD was not the only institution that had taught him survival skills. Marriage had taught him a little something about male/female dynamics. The protective male routine was often more for the man than it ever was for the woman. Women allowed it so the male could fulfill his fantasy role as the protector. 

The last thing this woman needed right now was him making her feel weaker with displays of male bravado, especially in front of all of these eyes. He smiled over at her and shook his head knowingly. _Should I try that little coat maneuver on this particular woman, she would likely reclaim her personal power by putting me on my ass with some Israeli Krav Maga nonsense._ So while knocking the Police Commissioner on his rump in front of the entire 16th Infantry Regiment might be just the confidence boost she needed tonight, Gordon had no intentions of inviting that response. _Come on Jim... your options can't just be the extremes of treating her like the Batman or a damsel in distress? There had to be more middle ground than that._ She needed to be empowered if he was to have any hopes of fostering the growth of this new association. He did not allow his mind to analyze why it suddenly mattered to him to cultivate it. _She needed to get her edge back... to feel powerful and in control again._

Gordon cleared his throat, "Actually I figured you would probably want to take the bike."

Xxxxx

x

Quote from Gordon: I have swept away your sins like a cloud. I have scattered your offenses like the morning mist. Return to me, for I have paid the price to set you free." Isaiah 44:22 (NLT)

 


	3. Chapter 3

 

"You sure that Uncle Sam is just going to stand back and let a wanted fugitive tear around Gotham on a Bat cycle?" It was clear that Selina viewed that option as extremely unlikely, if not down right laughable.

Gordon shrugged and his lips twitched into a half-hearted smile, "What he doesn't know won't hurt him."

Selina inclined her head in acceptance and invited Gordon to lead the way down the pier. He gestured to several officers to clear a path through the blockades and several wooden barricades were adjusted to allow them passage.

Officers of varying ranks and positions were congratulating him, offering condolences and thanking him as he passed. It was all sensory overload for Selina. She slid quietly behind him, drifting along in his wake. To his credit, Gordon took it all like a champ, working his way through the men with a quiet grace and patient appreciation for their words. Selina could see already why Wayne had put his faith in him.

 _Bruce..._ She felt the immediate and inevitable pang of loss and regret that accompanied his memory. _Damn him._

Gordon glanced over his shoulder for confirmation she was still in tow; the gesture was a muscle memory from his years of parenting. A memory of a family vacation to Disney leapt into his unguarded mind. _I had been riding Jimmy on my shoulders. Both of us were grateful for some separation from the women folk. Mother and daughter had argued all morning and it spilled over to the park when my little princess refused to hold her mother's hand. "Daddy, carry me please." Reaching her arms up to me, I never hesitated in scooping her into a whirling hug. It was well worth the storm I had faced in Barbara's eyes. 'I love you... don't kill me, we are on vacation' I mouthed over Barbie's shoulder. Barbara rolled her eyes and shook her fist at me. Things had calmed later in the day and the two Gordon women were tolerating each other enough for Jimmy and me to sneak away for a rollercoaster ride. I should have known Barbie would try to follow..._ Gordon shut down the memory, he clamped down hard on the welling pain. _Enough. I have enough on my plate already._

Gordon stood off to the side of the Bat pod speaking to several ranking military officials and more than a dozen police officers. He was doing most of the talking, which Selina realized was probably a good thing. There was a chance martial law had not been declared, if not, Gordon would still be commanding the forces. That was better for her and Gotham for that matter. Selina faded back to the bike, running her hands over the controls down to the seat. Her finger toyed with a small silver lever. She thought about the tunnel. _I could have just blasted the damn thing and tore through to freedom. What had I really accomplished by returning? Batman was just as dead._

"I would highly suggest reading the manual before you start indiscriminately flipping switches."

Fox was easy to spot as he stood head and shoulders above the other men in the crowd. Selina crooked a small smile at his comment. The strain of the events was apparent in his eyes and set of his shoulders, he seemed to have aged years in the hours that had elapsed since they met.

"Sir, step back please," a young military officer nervously directed the older gentleman away from the barricade.

Selina slipped up behind the soldier, draping her arm seductively over his shoulder, she gently cocked his helmet to the side, allowing her access to whisper warmly in his ear, "It's ok Rambo, he's with me."

The young man cleared his throat. He was not exactly sure who she was or if meant anything to have her permission. By the time he worked through the process, Fox was walking beside Selina toward his two-wheeled prototype. Several officers advanced toward them until Gordon noticed and called them off.

Fox surveyed the scene from the other side of the barricade. It seemed even more surreal from this perspective. The city's power was gone; most likely fried by the electromagnetic pulse from the blast. The only lights available now were from emergency vehicles and the news helicopters hovering above.

A lot had changed in just a few hours. An Army command post was now headquartered in the Wayne tower boardroom. Despite the unwelcome houseguests, Fox had made arrangements to secure the tech lost in the siege. What couldn't be recovered he ordered destroyed; everything that remained was being transported to an alternate site. He shook his head. _Mr. Wayne will surely have my head if I do not get his toys back..._

Selina leaned on the bike and waited for his thoughts to catch up to the events.

Fox smiled down at her, "Looks like you are causing quite a stir."

"Not me," Selina shrugged, "It's your former employer that decided to go out in a blaze of glory." She allowed the resentment to tinge her words.

Fox nodded, "He does have a flair for the theatrical."

Selina narrowed her eyes at that. ' _Does'_... _Present tense... He said ... '_ _does'_... She slid imperceptibly closer to Fox, "What else can you tell me about your boss?" Not _former_ boss.

Fox pursed his lips and adjusted his coat against the increasing chill of the night. An indiscernible look passed over his face and a moment later he was stopping an officer who was walking by. Fox lifted a hand and placed it softly on the officer's shoulder, "Sir, officer... pardon me, please."

Selina watched as Fox, without explanation or pretense slid the officer's heavy leather jacket from his shoulders, both thanking and effectively dismissing him in the same moment. The flabbergasted officer was completely taken aback by the action and did not or could not seem to offer any resistance. Fox, held open the coat to Selina. She could not help but proudly accept the pilfered garment. As she slipped her arms into the warm leather coat, she noticed it had Kevlar skid pads sewn in the lining. She smiled at her luck, it must have been a motor officer that he mugged.

Fox leaned down to her as he situated the garment on her shoulders and whispered, "Well, it's not Wayne tech armor, but it will do in a pinch." Her eyes flashed over her shoulders at the distinguished gentleman. _It wasn't just luck that it had been a motor officer. Bruce... you sure know how to pick them. Damn you._

Fox squinted up at the sky as he contemplated the young woman's question about Wayne. The winds had shifted and snow was drifting down heavier now. Large flakes finding brief purchase on his shoulders where before they had obediently melted. The little accumulations cascaded in a tiny avalanche as he reached into a breast pocket and withdrew a wool beret. He considered the dark garment as he shook it into shape. "Military command has been tracking a storm. They predicted it would miss Gotham entirely. But, as we know, the weather, much like Gotham, can be unpredictable at times." His voice was light and reflective, "Luckily, I believe in being prepared for every occasion." He gestured lightly at her with the hat before placing it securely on his head, "Mr. Wayne and I share that mindset," He nodded in satisfaction at that fact, "A man never knows what small detail might prevent him from catching his death... of a cold."

The slightest hesitation after death, 'prevent him from catching his death.' Selina fought to control her response as her eyes searched his face. To his credit, Fox revealed nothing else. He simply dropped his hands into the pockets of his jacket and held her gaze.

Selina understood clearly, Fox was holding out hope. _The man that understood the technology behind Batman was not convinced that Wayne was gone._ Selina briefly considered that it could be his own professional pride at work, that it was keeping him from accepting the truth.

 _Truth..._ The word nearly scalded her. She need not be reminded that all of Wayne's trust had not been as sorely misplaced, as it had been when he trusted her. By what right did she even consider judging this man's conviction and loyalty to Wayne? How could she could she hope to determine the worth, the true measure of Fox? Against what standard would she possibly judge him? No standard that had ever been applied to her to be sure.

Wayne trusted Fox, held him in the closest circle of that trust in fact. _What higher measure of a man could there be?_ If Wayne trusted Fox, she would too.

A muted vibration from Fox's pocket broke their silence. He checked the display and quickly excused himself, "I have to take this." His voice was apologetic as he stepped several paces away and accepted the call, "Alfred... I am at the scene now. "

x

xx


	4. Chapter 4

Gordon was firing off a list of orders to his awaiting men, hesitating only when the armed forces commander stepped forward. He was a young, intense, African-American man most likely older than his appearance suggested; everyone seemed to look so young to Gordon as of late.

"Commissioner Gordon, Captain Kinsler, I have an executive order from the white house directing me to aid local law enforcement in any way necessary in returning order to Gotham. I am awaiting your direction." His formal piece spoken, the young commander met Gordon's eye, "Give the word and my men will have you back in control of the city."

Gordon shook his head. "Son, don't get me wrong. We need the help, but, I just don't see how the military running through the streets of Gotham arresting civilians is going to restore any faith in local government." He shook his head and made a gesture of finality with his hand. "Keep your presence as a preventive measure, but let us handle the law enforcement."

Selina straddled the bike and leaned over the handlebars. "What about _under_ the streets?"

Gordon looked at her and then nodded at the possibility. _No cameras, no news. Trained military combat teams loaded to the hilt with complete tactical gear._ "One condition, the PD brings out all prisoners; minimal military presence in the media."

"We aren't here to make the cover of soldier of fortune, we are here to restore order," the commander assured.

Gordon relented, "We know that Bane's original headquarters was in the storm drains under the city. There is over two hundred miles of interconnected tunnels under Gotham. We had only started the search when my men were trapped. Someone get me a map." Gordon ordered out to no one in particular.

"That's a lot of real estate for Bane's boys to play hide and seek in. How about I speed things along and take you right to their little club house."

The young soldier stepped closer and addressed her directly. "And just who are you, Miss?"

Gordon cut off what could have only been a wise-ass retort. "A consultant," he stated flatly. "She is working with the Gotham PD to assist in the apprehension of hostile agents working against the city.

The commander quirked his eyebrows, "Exactly whose authority is she acting under?"

"Mine," Gordon snapped. "If you have a problem with that soldier, sack it up and head back over the bridge. We will clean up the city without you."

One of Gordon's men from the MCU, Detective Stephens, finally just said it, "She was with the Batman; she's one of us." The words hung out there for a second and Selina felt oddly complimented by the distinction. She gave the man a small nod, noticing the knife scar across his throat. _He's lucky to have survived that one._

Gordon suppressed a reaction and instead leaned down over the handlebars and in a low voice asked, "Can I trust you to play nice?"

Selina closed the distance further until her cheek was against his. "I'll try," was her noncommittal promise.

"It won't surprise me if you don't try very hard," he stated under his breath.

Selina curled her lips into a sensual smile. "Now Jim," she delighted in the intimacy of his first name, "Are you already expecting me to act like the bad girl? Is the mystery already gone from our relationship?" She pushed a chaste kiss to his cheek. "Get those papers ready for me, darling. I want to get right to work tonight."

Gordon drew back quickly, forcing himself not to glance guiltily around as a blush bloomed across his cheeks.

"Thirty eighth and Hefner, there is a pump station—seal it." Selina made the demand to no one in particular as she flipped down her night vision goggles. "The causeway at Eighty eighth and Main—put men on it; they will try to escape down the inducts." She made the statement as she kicked over the motor on the bike and it charged to life. "Greer Street station will be where they make a stand." The cycle growled beneath her. She glanced at the military commander irritated with his inaction, "You copy all that Schwarzkopf?" Selina grinned at his look of outraged indignity. "B Ave and Lincoln try and keep up boys." She gunned the accelerator and the super charged bike leapt forward into the night.

Gordon stared after her for a moment then glanced over at the commander. "You had better get a move on; there won't be anything left of them by the time you get there."

As the infantry unit cleared the area Gordon saw Fox standing quietly in the background. Gordon meandered over, "Your Mr. Wayne has intriguing taste in women." He gestured sheepishly in the direction of the departing caravan.

Fox inclined his head, "That he does." He handed Gordon a small triangle of cloth and gestured to the commissioner's face, "This particular woman seems to have a fondness for you as well."

Gordon self-consciously wiped at his face. Red lipstick smeared onto the white fabric and the police commissioner blushed furiously again.


	5. Chapter 5

Alfred Pennyworth paced the length of his hotel room, distractedly tapping a Wayne Enterprise satellite phone against his thigh. He stopped short, gripping the device with all his strength, controlling himself from throwing it against the wall in sheer frustration, he elected instead, to sling it in disgust against the pillows stacked at the head of his bed.

 _Not my bed, not by any stretch of the imagination was this my bed._ Alfred glanced around at his surroundings; the five-star Boston hotel was modest in every detail when compared to his true home of Wayne Manor. No, he was most decidedly, not where he should be at this moment in time.

Still hearing Fox's voice recounting the details of the events-seeing first hand the footage on the telecasts- knowing there had been no contact with Master Wayne since the detonation –Alfred fought back the panic and fear that was threatening to overtake him. He sat on the edge of the bed, no longer trusting his trembling legs for support.

 _I should have been there…_ He thought wildly. He had left Gotham of his own accord, and now found himself unable to return. Gotham had been sealed tightly during the siege and still no entrance was being granted.

He would have to wait. He should be practiced in that discipline by now. Waiting in this hotel room was all he seemed good for as of late. Alfred had been held hostage here in a state of limbo, unable to return to Gotham and unwilling to go further from, Bruce.

So, he had waited, letting his ticket to Florence expire without a second thought. He waited, living and dying with every newscast -every phone call- wishing more fervently with each passing moment, that he had done things differently.

The regret he felt threatened to overwhelm his rational mind. Regret was an emotion that Alfred had rarely experienced when assessing himself and his own actions. He had lived a life guided by choices made with careful deliberate consideration. When reflecting on his life's journey, he had always taken comfort in having shown the strength of character to make difficult choices, modeling the right and proper behavior of a man. He had taken comfort in the certainty that he had nothing to regret.

Now he found himself second guessing his most important decisions, questioning himself and finding that fear may have clouded his judgment. _Did I really leave Bruce for the sake of his future or was it out of my own fear- my fear of losing him? Did I abandon Master Wayne to save him or me? Did I take a cowards way out? Did I make the right choice or did I avoid the hard choice… the right choice?_

The hard choice would have been to stay the course. _Stay the course_. He tried not to remember saying those very words to Master Wayne. Alfred cursed out loud, "Bloody hell!"

His tear-filled blue eyes darted around the unfamiliar room as he struggled to rationalize his current situation. "I did what I had to do. To make him realize that… I couldn't just..."His voice cracked and failed as he spoke the words to himself. Alfred slid from the silk comforter to the floor, lowering his face into his palms. When his voice came again it sounded alien even to him, he sounded… Weak…tired… afraid. "I should be there..I shouldn't have left things that way….I never should have told him about the letter."

Alfred had not made the choice to leave lightly. It had been his last desperate attempt to help Bruce free himself from the emotional prison that held him for so many years. Alfred knew that Bruce's deepest fear was not bats, it was abandonment… it was loss… it was being alone. The night his parents died, his young life was shaped irrevocably by their loss. In the aftermath, Bruce had held onto the only constants that remained, he clung to his love of Alfred and Rachel. They were anchors to his past, to a time when his life made sense. With them in his life, Bruce had never needed anyone else. Bruce only needed them.

He loved them and knew they loved him in return. There was no reason for him to extend himself further; he felt no need to tempt fate's fickle nature into betraying him again. Loving meant risking the possibility of loss and he experienced enough.

Then Rachel was gone and Bruce had lost himself in her death for years.

Alfred had finally come to the realization that as long as he remained with Bruce, he was enabling this isolation. He truly was anchoring Bruce to the past, and not in a good way. By removing himself from the equation, Alfred had hoped to use Bruce's fear of abandonment to spur him into action… into living again. Alfred understood his own mortality. He was not going to be around forever and he wanted… No… needed to know that Bruce was on a path that would carry him forward. Alfred needed to know that someone would be there to love Bruce through that final loss… that ultimate abandonment.

Now, Bruce was gone.

With Bruce's death, Alfred would be spared the guilt and anguish of abandoning Master Wayne, of seeing the fear and betrayal on Bruce's face as he took his last breath and left him behind like the rest.

That was a fate he had feared for so long, but now, he would gladly relive that scene for eternity, if only it could have prevented this alternative. Batman had given his life defending Gotham. Master Wayne was dead. Alfred took a ragged breath. "In peace the sons bury their fathers, but in war the fathers bury their sons." His voice cracked with emotion as he recited the lines. His educated mind refused to recall the source, but the words were there nonetheless.

Alfred tried to come to terms with his failure and face his life's legacy. _Regret._ He had failed the promise he made to Bruce's parents, his beloved friends, to ensure the safety and happiness of their only child.

Alfred wrapped his arms around his knees and mourned the loss of that child, the child to whom he had devoted his life. He mourned the loss of the man whom he himself, help to shape and guide through youth into the adult that became his friend. Alfred tried to come to grips with the greatest loss. He had lost his son, for truly there could be no stronger bond forged in blood than had been forged in their love for one another.

As his breath hitched in his chest, Alfred realized how much grief felt like fear.

There would be no forgiveness for this failure. He wouldn't have expected forgiveness, but Alfred would have begged Satan himself for another chance. The chance, to make a different decision. He would have made the hard choice… the right choice. He would have stood beside Bruce and stayed the course. His voice came shaky and weak, "No man should live to bury his son." Emotion overwhelmed him and he wept.

x

xx

Footnote: Quote: "In peace the sons bury their fathers, but in war the fathers bury their sons." was from The Histories written by Herodotus (he was an ancient Greek historian)


	6. Chapter 6

Selina took the left on Crenshaw tightly. She loved the counter-rotation of the wheels when the bike cornered. The black bike skittered across three lanes and never dropped a gear. Counter-rotation, she snickered at her creative terminology. Well she did have to call it something. She would have to make it a point to ask Fox what the term really was and how the hell it worked. Odd that she just assumed she would see Fox again. _When I do, I will damn sure remember to ask_. She fancied herself a gear-head and the dynamics just didn't make sense. She lost herself in thought. _If I had some tools, I could just pull the front fork and drop the piston assembly and see for myself._

"Whoa!" Selina banked left to avoid a wrecked-out car abandoned in the street. The ice crusting on the asphalt nearly caused the beautiful bike to betray her. The wheels momentarily failed to grip, finding their purchase at the last possible second. She swerved and rocketed past the car with the barest of margins to spare. Her heart nearly froze in her chest as she glanced down and saw the torn leather on her knee-high boot. It must have snagged on the metal of the car she mused, only then did she realize how close she had been to—Selina broke off the thought, mentally reprimanding herself, _Get your mind in the game girl._ Selina swallowed the lump of fear in her throat and grimly pushed the bike harder, _If you back down and give into fear, nothing good comes of it_. "Lesson learned Wayne"

X

A dark figure watched her progress from the rooftop. Gloved hands tensed on the battered brick of the building as he watched her adjust the trajectory and turn certain tragedy into a heart-stopping near miss. His audible exhale accompanied the sound of the Bat pod throttling up again. Wayne forcibly relaxed his grip on the crumbling ledge. "Jesus, she is crazier than I am."

He moved to watch her from the other side of the building, his progress hampered both by his injuries and the still smoking debris littering the bombed-out roof top. Wary of the light-headedness he was feeling, Bruce slowed his pace further and tried to measure his breathing and clear the haze from his mind.

 _When had I ejected from "The Bat?_ He didn't know, but his landing must have been a rough one. He had lost consciousness at some point; for how long, he didn't know that either. He tried now to focus on how got there. He remembered setting the autopilot and firing the missiles at the building, but he didn't remember ejecting from the craft, it was a blur of explosions and smoke. _Still I must have ejected._

The bomb trailing below him had been skimming the roof line of the buildings so the drop distance wouldn't have been the challenge, it was the speed. His cape would have offered some drag, but the impact when he hit would have been tremendous.

He pressed his right hand more firmly to the puncture site at his side and chose his footing carefully. The knife wound at his side wasn't terminal in itself. In truth, it didn't even really rate on Batman's injury comparison scale. The real problem was that during the time he was unconscious he wasn't able to keep up compression to the wound. Upon awakening he found himself soaking in a coagulating pool of his own blood.

Bruce was acutely aware of the light-headedness he felt now. He understood that if he went down again he wouldn't be getting back up. He rubbed absently at his forehead and felt the deep cracks in the cowl; it must have absorbed its fair share of impact because while he wasn't feeling one hundred percent, his head was still successfully attached to his shoulders. _Bless Alfred and his stringent quality control measures._

Honestly, he thought he had died. He had a memory so clear of himself flying over the water, of pulling the bomb further out to sea—away from Gotham, away from Selina. The memory was etched in his mind as clearly and as painfully as the memory of his parents' murder. Bruce shook his head as he relived the moment. His last thoughts had been of her. He wished it had been different, wished that he had another chance to hold her, another chance for them to see what they could be to one another. A blinding light flashed and he understood that none of that was to be, that he was gone.

Then, he felt cold drops landing on his face, moisture dripping down his cheeks. He forced open his eyes and found himself staring up at the night sky. He thought at first stars were dropping out of the heavens until he realized it was snowflakes landing softly on his upturned face. He was alive.

Bruce reached the south side of the building; not in time to see Selina, but to find that the bike had been parked. He pulled out a small set of high-powered binoculars and scanned the area, the eerie green display from the night vision revealed nothing. No Selina. With a flick of his thumb the display went to thermal imaging. He was annoyed to find no heat readings other than the starburst surrounding the bike motor and exhaust. It was like she disappeared. He grunted in frustrated disappointment, he had wanted to see her again. He would have enjoyed getting a closer look now that he had the presence of mind to use the binoculars.

Bruce found mild amusement in himself and his uncharacteristic reactions and snorted out a small laugh. "What has she done to you Wayne?" he asked himself and shook his head in amazement. "The entire city is blown to hell and here you stand, bleeding to death, acting like a love-struck stalker. " The ludicrousness of the situation wasn't lost on him as a louder laugh escaped his throat, its sound cut short by a stab of pain from his side. His strange behavior and comical fascination with a sexy cat burglar were the obvious after effects of blood loss or a fresh concussion, Bruce decided.

He flipped back to night-vision as he watched military vehicles arrive on the scene. His brow crinkled under the scuffed cowl. _If Selina had been running from them, why did she stop? She had them outpaced._ Bruce watched intently as two soldiers worked to push the bike aside. His stomach clenched when he saw the open manhole cover. "Selina, no…"

One by one the troops began dropping into the tunnel. Bruce let the glasses drop to the ground when the realization came to his muddled mind. _Selina was helping Gordon get Gotham back under control. She was leading the military down to the tunnels; she was helping them take out the rest of Bane's men._

Bruce swayed slightly on his feet; the blurry blotches that had been playing on the peripheral edge of his vision began to creep inward. He blinked rapidly against their approach.

"Don't do it Selina. They will be ready...bunkered in" His warning came out a thick whisper as his body began to collapse. He dropped to a knee before the darkness was able to fully claim him. He clumsily wrapped his tattered cape around his waist then fell purposefully onto his wounded side, successfully trapping his armored arm between the unforgiving ground and the oozing stab wound. He allowed his full body weight come to bear, pressing his elbow forcefully against the puncture. Bruce was unable to suppress a gasp of agony and he felt himself losing the fight to stay conscious.

A blurry image of Selina came to him; a memory of her from the day she saved the neighborhood boy that had stolen fruit. She was taking a bite out of the apple. Instead of tossing it to the kid the memory morphed as she turned offered it to Bruce instead. _She was beautiful; her lips, those eyes, hair blowing gently across her face._ For Bruce, reality ceased to exist independently of dream.

Laying alone on the frozen rooftop, Batman reached out a gloved hand, weakly reacting to the scenario unfolding in his disconnecting mind. His fingers twitched as he 'took the apple,' the glove accepted the command and discharged an electric pulse. The fabric of his cape energized, constricting tightly around his battered torso as it attempted to unfurl.


	7. Chapter 7

Selina landed softly in a shallow rivulet of water streaming through the storm tunnel. She stayed in a motionless crouch, tilting her head as she listened for any sounds other than the white noise of running water—soft ticking. Recognizing it immediately as the sound of the bike as it cooled, she smiled as she thought to herself, _damn if I don't love that bike._

She stepped out of the center of the pipe and up to the dry edge. The water hadn't been but a few inches deep, but it was freezing cold. Plus, she didn't fancy ruining her leather boots. She winced as she thought of the damaged cuff. Flipping down her goggles she used their night vision capability to inspect the damage in greater detail. She poked a finger into the rip and felt it go through and touch the outside of her knee. "Ruined, absolutely ruined," she grumbled.

She heard the military transport pull up the street. The roaring motors echoed off the walls of the tunnel, reverberating off the brick. Dust and mortar dropped into the water as the huge deuce and a half troop transport pulled to a stop. Selina frowned up at the source of the noise. Gratefully, the motors rumbled to a stop quickly, but the racket continued as the soldiers disembarked and the steady thump of boots impacted on the earth above.

She tried to control her frustration. They were nearly a half of a mile away from the convoluted collection of tunnels that would lead them to Bane's stronghold. She had brought them in from a distance for this very reason; men began loudly clamoring down into the tunnel and she just shook her head. She had learned through her share of bungled B&Es that she was better off working alone. If one expected to sustain any semblance of stealth, less was always more. Her frown deepened as several soldiers sloshed up next to her, splashing her with a spray of icy water.

"Thanks for the shower," she deadpanned at the young man, "I didn't realize it was Sunday already." She flicked water off her thigh and felt a small stream traverse down her leg and puddle in her boot. Selina's annoyance doubled and she had to hold herself back from scolding him further.

"Sorry 'bout that Ma'am," the young man stammered.

Selina scanned his face from behind her glasses, he was just a kid. Even with the alien illumination of the night vision lens she could tell he was scared to death. She wondered if they all might be. What the hell she thought, I might as well loosen them up a little. She flipped up her glasses and fixed him with her sexiest bedroom eyes, "Soldier, if you want to get a girl wet…there are much better ways."

Selina had to suppress her own laughter when the men within earshot reacted. Snickering and hooting lightly at her comment, they shoved and bumped the embarrassed soldier closer to her. "Get a room you two," one of his battle buddies advised to the chorus of more light laugher.

She turned away and allowed her own smile to birth when she heard a man say, "Don't ask, don't tell!" Selina was grateful she hadn't had her glasses set to thermal imaging, no doubt the heat off the soldiers face would have spiked the meter.

With the men assembled and pressed against the walls of the waterway, their commander dropped down beside her. "We're ready," he stated breathlessly.

"We are about to find out," Selina stated flatly as she stood. She flipped down her glasses again and she surveyed the waiting men, "How many of you?"

"Thirty," He replied quickly.

"What you boys packing? Got any infrared scanners?" she questioned.

"Four IR scanners," he replied, "Everybody is outfitted with night vision, C4 explosives, M67 Frag grenades, M-16 A4 rifles and a few troops have Pump-action 12 Gauges and M18A1s." He hesitated and explained, "Those are clay—"

Selina cut off the commander, "Mines, Claymore Anti-personnel mines, yes I have heard of them. Please spare me the impromptu explosives clinic."

"Aw snap, the Cap just got told," came a voice from the dark. The troops laughed and shared amused grins at their commander's expense. Obviously annoyed, the Captain barked a warning, "Lock it up, wingnuts!"

Selina spun over the possibilities; it definitely wouldn't be as easy to gain access to the encampment as the last time, or as fun she lamented. It was impossible not to miss the Batman.

After spending years reading newspaper articles recounting Batman's various exploits and seeing him handling some of Gotham's criminal element first hand, Selina thought she had a pretty good idea of what she could expect when they had entered the tunnel together. She soon discovered she wasn't as ready for, 'the Batman experience' as she thought. The most surprising thing she discovered about him was his speed. It was one thing to be fast, but when you had size and speed, now that was a dangerous combination. She remembered the sight of him blasting into an unsuspecting guard.

She was trying to direct the man's attention away from the darkness where her shadowy companion lurked. The guard had his gun trained on her; she backed fearfully away from him. "Please don't hurt me," she tried to sound as pitiful as possible. Come on turn…She encouraged him silently, _There you go tough guy..._

Delighting in her weakness, the man turned on her and advanced with a menacing look in his eye. "Bitch, you got a whole world of hurt coming to you."

Selina straightened, the look of fear dropping instantly from her face, her eyes were full of cold disappointment. "Really, you're gonna call me a bitch? That is just rude."

Batman sprang out of the darkness with dizzying speed. His lowered shoulder drove into the man's ribs with such brutality Selina cringed at the force of the impact. His legs pumped like pistons as they powered him through the tackle. He drove the guard into the ground with cruel finality.  _Textbook linebacker_ , Selina mused. He had the size, strength, speed and man, did he ever have the attitude.

When the Batman stood up nonchalantly beside her, Selina was mildly surprised there wasn't blood or organs spattered across his chest. "Unnecessary roughness big guy, that's a fifteen yard penalty." A smile briefly flickered beneath his cowl at her attempt at levity.

Selina tried to shake off the memory of him–Focus on the task at hand. She was about to lead these little lambs into a lion's den and she didn't need Bruce Wayne on the brain while she was trying to strategize. It was going to be hard enough to concentrate while facing the place where she had abandoned him to Bane. She wasn't looking forward to reliving that betrayal.

Selina stepped away from the memories and strode through the tunnel and stood among the men. "Listen up" she said in a voice just loud enough to be heard over the water. "These guys have been holed up here for months; they are highly trained and have access to explosives. Expect trip wires and booby traps." She looked gravely around at the soldiers. "All of these men are ready to die for their cause, don't expect them to surrender." She adjusted the setting on her goggles as she spoke, "If you have IR capabilities, drop your imaging into the LWIR spectrum" She knew she needed to clarify her direction when she saw the confusion on their faces. Snatching the nearest of the four devices out of the hands of its operator, Selina quickly familiarized herself with the controls.

 _What kind of antique piece of shit is this?_ She thought to herself as she puzzled over the readout. _As much as we pay in taxes you would figure the government could do a hell of a lot better. For the love of God in heaven, it had dials, Dials! Granted, I don't exactly pay taxes, but the people that do should be outraged!_ She continued to fume over the device's limited capabilities, but eventually settled on an acceptable frequency. "Set it to read: 'L band 1585-1625nm'," She glanced around as they worked. "That's Lima Band 1585-1625 November Mike." She clarified using the military's phonetic alphabet to make sure they understood the letters. Handing the device back to its operator, Selina reassured the soldier, "Yours is ready to go."

Captain Kinsler stepped forward and separated the team into four squads, each would lead by an infrared specialist. He started breaking down his plan for close-combat cover formations as Selina walked away. She made her way silently up the passage, patiently scanning the walls and floor for possible triggers or incendiary devices. She was also listening intently for any signs of movement from the connecting tunnels. As she pulled her cherished 40 caliber Ceska Zbrojovka from its holster, she was instantly comforted by its familiar weight in her palm. She pushed deeper into the darkness knowing the soldiers would be following closely behind.


	8. Chapter 8

 

Bruce panted shallowly, struggling to catch his breath against the constrictive pressure squeezing his chest. He squirmed uncomfortably, the peculiar sound made when his cowl drug dragged against the hard surface of the rooftop rushed him to consciousness. His eyes snapped open in a panic as he fought to free himself from the unknown aggressor.

He nearly cursed when he realized where he was and that it was his own cape cocooned around his torso. He quickly used his free hand to disengage the fabric. The cape lost its rigidity and subsequently its ability to support his body, unceremoniously collapsing Wayne backwards into a drift of snow. Then he did snarl out a curse. "Son of a bitch." Bruce shut his eyes and sucked in a deep, frustrated breath. He exhaled violently and then filled his starving lungs again with the fresh cold air. He took another moment to compose himself, forcing his mind and body into a practiced state of calm dispassion. Only then did he realize the Anaconda-like constriction of his cape against the wound might have saved his life. "What are the odds?"

The muffled reports of gunfire in the distance cut off his words and spurred him into action.

Rolling onto his stomach, Batman pushed himself off the ground and onto his feet. He stood for a moment assessing his overall physical status, flexing the arm that had been trapped beneath him to hasten the return of feeling to the numbed muscles, satisfied that his legs were steadier and more importantly his finding vision was clear. The wound at his side was still oozing and he had a crushing headache, but those wouldn't be enough to stop him. Truth be told, there wasn't much that could.

Batman stepped purposefully to the edge of the building. His tangled cape loosened from his waist as he walked and limply fell into place behind him. His hands locked on the ledge of the metal foundry as his eyes sharply searched the city for the source of the shots. He noted that the power had yet to be restored to the city, darkness still prevailed.

An explosion rumbled from under the city and Batman pushed himself up to stand precariously upon the ledge. His eyes were expressionless as he watched the causeway collapse and water began pouring into the frozen canal below, the same canal where Gordon and countless others had been sentenced to walk the ice. Wayne glanced up at the bridge where his symbol had burned.

_Would there ever be a day when Gotham didn't need Batman?_

A younger more naïve Bruce Wayne had believed that there would be a day when Gotham was safe and Batman could be reduced to memory –to legend. That Bruce Wayne wasn't the same man that stood over Gotham tonight. Bane had made him face his mortality, and so Bruce had also faced the mortality of Batman. He knew that regardless of the fate that was to befall him, Gotham still needed the Batman and so he had provided the city its heir. The memory of that decision flashed into his mind.

***Memory***

-Blake-

Wayne realized that Blake could be the future. He had the heart, the want, to become Batman. Yet Bruce was still hesitant to obligate him; he just didn't have the training. It had taken Bruce years of sacrifice and work to make himself capable of meeting the demands of the role and even with of those advantages he had struggled.

Now, Bruce faced the necessity of bequeathing Batman's responsibilities to a man he knew wasn't capable of fulfilling them, not yet anyways. He held the papers in his hand, tapping them absently on the antique desk of his little used office in Wayne Manor. Bruce gazed out the window and looked over the grounds toward the hidden Batcave. _This document would provide Blake access to all the technologies and secrets of Batman. Then what?_ Bruce questioned himself. _He just puts on the suit and heads out into the city?_   Wayne shook his head. Blake putting on the suit would be suicide; his eyes rested on the empty signature line, and signing this would be tantamount to murder.

But, Gotham needed someone. Bruce couldn't chance Batman dying with him. He nearly called out to Alfred for guidance, his voice caught in his throat at the last moment as he remembered he was gone. Bruce swallowed the lump in his throat and rubbed his fingers hard across his brow. At the very least signing this document would be damning Blake to a life in Batman's emotional purgatory.

He wondered if Alfred would encourage him to sign in spite of this fact or because of it. Alfred, who had tried so valiantly to free him from the prison of Batman, would he knowingly sentenced another to serve in the place of Bruce? "He wouldn't have hesitated for a second," Bruce stated gravely. He considered that. Settling back in the leather chair, he ran the scenario in his mind. Would he have let another man take his place? Yes. But why? The easy answer was because Alfred loved him. But, there was more to a decision than that if Alfred was involved. He looked at a problem from every possible angle. Why then would Alfred have not hesitated? Did Alfred think it would be different for someone else? Better?

Bruce turned his powerful perception upon himself, was it Batman's purgatory or one of his own creation? He had spent years collapsing in on himself, blaming Batman for keeping him from Rachel, blaming himself for choosing the suit over a future with her, choosing the duty of Batman over a life for himself... Everything Alfred had tried to tell him started falling into place.

"Alfred," Bruce teared up. "Smart old sot," he choked out in his best English accent.

Alfred loved him and had accepted the dangers that accompanied him being Batman. Sure he fussed and worried, but it was no different from the struggles faced by a soldier's family or a police officer for that matter. They knew the risks, and accepted them out of love for the person that chose that life. It hadn't been the Batman that his English caretaker had disapproved of; it had been Bruce's inability to integrate the suit with a life— into a future.

Bruce snorted as the pieces fit together. _Even in his absence, Alfred was teaching me._ Bruce smiled at the overwhelming love he felt for him. "I'm going to fix it Alfred." His voice was sure and even, "That's a promise. I will fix it." Bruce signed his name on the line and smiled.

***Present***

The cape, still damp from blood and melted snow, flung a spray of red mist behind him as it sprung into shape. When the droplets came to rest on the powdery snow they had formed the macabre outline of a bat.

Batman targeted his landing for a ledge above the crumbling wall of the south tunnel and he leapt without further hesitation into the night. Thoughts of Rachel filled his mind as he fought back the overwhelming dread that again, he would fail to save the woman in his life.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9:

Selina, made her way down the black tunnel, allowing her eyes to sweep the walkway methodically as she stepped soundlessly through the water. She motioned for the men trailing behind her to fall back further as she was beginning to hear evidence of their movements echoing off the concrete.

  
Selina smirked as she held out the tactical sign for them to slow. _Sheep_ , she thought to herself again, so easily manipulated by her little performance. Already an expert in the technology of her craft, the business with the infrared red settings was second nature to her. Plus, she had scouted Bane and his thugs thoroughly enough that she was well aware of the tech they were running. She had only to ramp-up her attitude and toss in some military jargon to complete her illusion. Bingo, they were treating her like she was a freaking Green Beret. It was just too easy. Selina would be the first to admit that she made a lot of things look easy, because she was just that damn good.

  
It was because she was that good. That even with her feet numb from sloshing through the freezing water, she was still able to feel the slight drag produced when her boot pushed against the trip wire. Halting in mid stride, Selina swept her hand down past her side signaling the men to take cover. Slowly she bent down, ensuring that the pressure from her foot remained steady against the wire. She grasped it tightly with her fingers and continued to maintain the same pressure as she slowly lowered her foot. Kneeling down she focused intently on the reaction of the wire as she started relaxing the tension. Once satisfied she did not feel the tell-tale hesitation indicative of a pressure switch, she released all tension and traced down the device.

  
“Damn,” Selina said in an unappreciative whisper, “Spring mine…that’s…dirty,” Vets called similar German spring mines Bouncing Betties. When triggered, they launched into the air and then they detonated, right at chest level. Designed to release a lethal spray of steel balls and fragments directly into a man’s torso, they obliterated his critical organs. A spring mine was a messy weapon, engineered to take someone’s life in the most gruesome way possible. From what Selina knew about Bane and his little group that sounded about right.

  
The soldiers had responded immediately to her signal, dropping down into a defensive ready-position, prepared to provide cover fire. Several soldiers had removed their night vision goggles. This was standard operating procedure so that if there was a blast, they would not be blinded by the flash of light like those that continued to use the night vision. The unaffected soldiers would engage hostiles while the rest of the team recovered from the blinding after effects of sudden light exposure magnified through the night vision lenses.

  
The young man that she had traumatized earlier was one of the soldiers now straining to make out her actions as he watched her through his scope of his rifle. The scope offered some advantage over the dark, but without the benefit of night vision he had little clarity on her now. He could tell that she was kneeling by the wall and had pulled something out of a compartment near her waist. She held a small cylindrical object in front of her and looked to be pulling off a cap. “What the hell is that…,” he whispered, “lipstick?”

  
Several of the troops groaned and snickered as his buddy whispered, “Yes Jenkins, she is taking a moment to get dolled up for you.”

  
Selina traced an invisible X midway up on the tunnel wall. She turned back to the men and pointed with two fingers to her eyes and then with the same fingers pointed down at the wall. Through the illumination of the night vision goggles the others could see a glowing X brightly identifying the position of the device. Selina recapped the marker and zipped it back in to its compartment. Selina motioned the men to stay put while she traversed the remaining eighty feet of tunnel alone.  
She slipped up to the connecting shaft and pulled a small dental mirror from her boot lining. This was where she was expecting the entertainment to start. Sliding it under the water she extended around the corner. Holding her breath, she lifted it slightly above the waterline, hoping that any movement or light reflected by the mirror would be camouflaged by the running water.

  
She had been right in using caution. There were seven by her count, and they were bunkered and waiting for anyone to try turn that corner. Selina sat back and considered the options.

  
xxxxxxxxx

  
Selina stood by, watching the team work to repurpose the spring mine. Adding additional wire to increase the safe distance for detonation, they also added four grenades into the mix. She edged away as they pulled the pens on the grenades and delicately secured the spoons down with electrical tape. Wiring the entire collection together to the mine they had their ‘antipersonnel bunker buster’ completed. The munitions specialist that engineered the device gathered it up delicately and started down the tunnel. Selina cleared her throat lightly. “Hey Houdini, how you gonna get that delivered without them seeing and hearing you?”

  
He hesitated, “Slide it under the water up the tunnel and roll back here and set it off.”

  
Selina shook her head, “Water isn’t deep enough, only about seven, maybe eight inches tops. They will see you for sure.”

  
“Well, _Sweetheart,_ why don’t you just tell us what to do then. You and Gordon seem to have all the answers,” the commander snarled.

  
_Sweetheart._ Selina’s lip twitched. The change in the commander’s demeanor was obvious and so was the reason for it. He had gotten what he needed from her. She led them down the maze, now she was disposable. Selina carried on, trying to control the dread she felt spreading through her stomach. “Third of a mile back there is damage in the tunnel wall. There is a crawl space into the aquifer inlets. It looks to end right behind them.” She shrugged, “squeeze through there and we can drop the device right in their lap.”

  
The munitions expert considered her proposal and nodded. “It would be all over, but the crying if we could get it behind that bunker, otherwise we are looking at sandbags stopping the majority of the damage and we will be left engaging alert forces.”

  
“Do it.” The commander ordered gruffly. “We blow them to high hell, then drag the leftovers out into the street and make an example of them. I’ll have Gotham under my control by the weekend.” Selina narrowed her eyes at the comment. _His control._ Signaling out four additional men to go with his munitions man, he pointed at Selina. “You, take them back up and show him where to make entry,” he ordered sharply.

  
Selina suppressed the reflexive balk that immediately followed any order directed toward her person. She smothered her intended refusal with a sarcastic retort, “Anything for you, Stonewall.”

  
Kinsler snarled a lip at her insubordinate response. Selina knew immediately that she had pushed him past his breaking point, and discovered without surprise, that she couldn’t give a shit less. “I don’t know who the hell you think you are—” he mumbled menacingly, intending to put her in her place.

  
“Calm down, Patton,” Selina cut him off before he could get rolling. “Don’t make the mistake of thinking because I’m _helping_ you that I _work_ for you.” Selina let the warning hang between them for a moment. “And don’t ever call me “sweetheart. ”Got that, _cupcake_?” Her words were soft, but her eyes were threatening.

  
The Commander glared at her and growled, “It’s because of Gordon letting fucking criminals like you and that Batman roam the streets that this entire thing happened. Well, the Bat got what he deserved and now his bitch is gonna get hers.” He leaned into her face, “and as long as I am in command I will call you whatever I fucking please.”

  
Selina smiled, “I get the feeling you don’t like me.” She pretended to be hurt. “Wait, this isn’t because I’m a girl, is it?” Selina taunted him further, by innocently twirling a strand of hair around her finger.

  
He reached out and grabbed a fist full of her hair, and jerked her over to him. Unfortunately for the Captain, that was exactly the place she wanted to be. Just as quickly as he had grabbed her, her pistol had materialized under his chin. The muzzle of the CZ 40 cal pushed painfully into the delicate pocket under his jaw. Kinsler’s men froze. Several then awkwardly raised their weapons, obviously unsure at what they should do to address this turn of events.

  
Selena, ignored everything but the man front of her. She untwisted the trapped hair from her finger and used the same digit now to hook the collar of his uniform. She pulled him firmly down until their eyes were level and she locked him down with her calculating brown eyes. Selina spoke, her voice a low hiss, “Before you, try,” she jammed the muzzle further into the soft tissue under his chin, “to say anything else, I should probably let you know… the men you are talking about are personal friends of mine.” She slid her thumb over the pistol’s hammer and her eyes narrowed, “I take offense at you labeling the Batman a criminal.” The sinister click of the gun cocking illustrated to him the level of her discontent. “Now _I_ ,” Selina whispered like she was sharing an intimate secret with him, “I _am_ a criminal _._ ” She slanted her head slyly to the side and curled her lips into a deadly smile, “Would you like to see just how criminal I can be?”

  
The commander swallowed thickly and remained silent. After a few beats Selina released his collar and removed the muzzle from his chin. She kept the weapon trained on him as she moved it up and pressed the cold barrel against his forehead. Her eyes remained locked on the commander as she reached out her free hand to the munitions specialist. “I’ll take that.”

  
The young man looked at the device and then questioningly to his commander. The officer started to speak and with lightening speed Selina flicked up the muzzle of the CZ and connected the butt of the weapon between his eyes. The impact drove him forcefully backward and his head bounced resoundingly off the wall of the tunnel. As he slumped wordlessly to the ground, Selina snatched the device from the munitions specialist. She backed away as several of the soldiers advanced toward her. Placing the barrel of her gun to her lips in a shushing motion she whispered, “Keep quiet boys, the unfriendlies are right around the corner.”

  
When they advanced again Selina slipped a gloved finger under the nearest grenade spoon as a warning. Her lips formed a hard line. “I’ve got nothing left to lose boys.” She fingered the grenade. “Do you?” The finality of her question gave them pause. “I came down here to help you, and l still intend to. Give me twenty minutes—be ready.” With that Selina disappeared around the corner.

  
xxx

  
For the second time today, Selina held true to her word. She had managed to maneuver into position and was lowering the explosive device into place when gunfire erupted below. She had just been puzzling over how to she was going to distance herself from the detonation. She couldn’t go backwards, she had no way to leverage herself and honestly she had no strength left in her body for a retreat.

  
Struggling through the pipe had been excruciatingly difficult and a claustrophobic’s worst nightmare. The closeness of the crawl space meant her arms had to be extended in front of her the entire time. She had cradled the device with her gloved hands to prevent it from accidentally catching on the pipes and forced her body through using her legs and core. Negotiating through a particularly difficult section, she had panicked when she became lodged. Hyperventilating into a near blackout state she finally felt her leather clad body slide a fraction. She focused on blocking out the negative possibilities and focused on that inch, and then the inch after that. The entire time she tried not to think of the explosives right next to her face.

  
Selina realized she was very near hyperthermia as she watched her hands shake uncontrollably as she forced them to hold the bomb. Her chest and legs had been submerged in the stagnant slurry of the pipe as she worked to slither through. Her fingers seized down tighter as she watched one of the grenades slip slightly beneath the black tape. She realized she was out of options. As she heard Bane’s men calling for support, she knew she should hang on a little longer. Forcing her shaking hands to stay clenched, she was grimly aware that her reason for holding on now was no longer self-preservation, it was a calculating decision to fight for attrition. The more of Bane’s men that responded to the skirmish before she dropped the hammer, the more effective her weapon would be at eradicating them.

  
The muscles in her stomach and lower black cramped into solid rocks of pain as she willed her numb fingers to keep their hold on the device just a few moments longer. She heard more gunfire begin below her and she gratefully released the agent of death. Selina squirmed back into the dark crevice. Unable to retract her arms due to the tightness of the passage, she rolled her shoulders and pressed them firmly against her ears in anticipation of the blast.

  
The mine sprang off the concrete floor of the tunnel and expelled its contents like a piñata from hell. The TNT propelled ball bearings ripped through the air, nearly vaporizing the eleven men that populated the room. The spring mine had engaged the striker springs on the grenades and they obediently detonated. When the grenades exploded they rocked open tiny fissures in the canal wall. The extreme pressure of the retained water immediately exploited the weakness in the concrete and seconds later, water was shooting through and expanding the crevices.

  
The concussions from the explosions were so tremendous that Selina never even felt the pipes collapse beneath her. Her next coherent thought wasn’t until she landed in a rush of freezing water and was propelled toward the ice filled canal.

  
xxxxxx

  
Batman exhaled a grunt of pain as his legs were not quite able to absorb the impact of the landing and he had to tuck and roll. He allowed his momentum to propel him back to his feet with practiced grace. He was just starting into the tunnel when he saw Selina’s limp body tumble into the turbulent water below.


	10. Chapter 10

Bruce ran to the edge of the spillway. Panic gripped his heart as his eyes searched for her in the black water.

The pounding insurgence of water from the breach had driven holes in the heavy ice pack crusting the water of the canal. He was grateful for a moment that she had clear water to catch her, that she was spared the brutal impact on the unforgiving ice.

His gratitude was short-lived as he watched the drift of the water and realized that she had been driven beneath the floating ice by the force of the falling water. Bruce felt his legs tense as he forcibly stopped himself from making the leap. _Find her first,_ he demanded of himself. _Find her first. You are only going have one chance, don't fuck it up this time, Wayne._

Bruce pushed a button on the side of his belt and the thermal imaging screen slid across his eyes. The dark blue of the water revealed nothing to him; he forced himself to breathe through his escalating panic. Then he saw it, a swirl of bright florescent green. Not the heat signature of a person, but the only thing that had registered. It was his only hope. He still had hope.

The tattered cape flung itself obediently into form and Bruce dove directly at the target. He lost sight of his mark and he was left guessing at the trajectory. Allowing the cape to glide him effortlessly above the ice, Bruce slid to a landing on his knees. He jabbed his arm into a crack between the ice sheets. He felt something bump the back of his hand. The object turned in the water and he was nearly blinded again by the bright florescent register on his thermal imager.

The object slid away beneath a heavy raft of ice. Bruce dove forward, shoveling the crusted ice and snow to the side, trying to get a clear view through the ice. It was her. A blob of florescent ink illuminated the fabric around her waist. Her face slid lifelessly past him, scraping violently on the unforgiving ice. "Selina." He gasped out her name. Then he yelled it. "Selina!" He bounded ahead of her and dropped again to his knees, pounding his fist like a jack hammer into the solid ice. "Selina!

The fourth blow broke through and in the same motion he buried his arm up to his shoulder in the frigid water, grasping wildly for her. His hand slipped along her leather clad body unable to find a grip. She slipped further away and he made another frenzied attempt to grab her. His hand captured a wave of her chestnut hair. Bruce held desperately to her with his already numbing fingers. He battled the ice with his free hand, his fist knocking the hole bigger with every desperate strike. He pulled at the ice breaking a large hunk free. Bruce hooked his arm around her and leveraged her from under the ice.

Her lips were a deep blue and her skin a ghostly pallor of white. The red scrapes from the ice on her cheek and chin were the only hints of color on her face. He pressed his hand hard into her abdomen and was rewarded with the expulsion of ice and water from her lips. He pushed hard again, forcing himself to be brutal in his attempt to save her. Another slurry of ice water was forced from her body.

Bruce put his head to her chest and was relieved when he heard the slow heart beat. He moved his mouth over hers and waited to feel her breath on his lips. When none came he breathed for her. Pinching her nose shut he forced the warm air from his body into hers. Pausing for her response, he returned his lips to hers and tried again. He felt more than heard the small hitch as she tried to respond. He forced another deep breath into her lungs and she choked out a cough.

Bruce pulled her free from the ice that was forming against her wet body and was running with her in his arms before she had taken her first unaided breath. The ice cracked and buckled as his long strides brought them even with the bridge. He braced Selina against his chest as he freed a hand to pull the grappling gun from its holster, firing up into the steel girders of the bridge. He didn't wait to test the line before he commanded it to propel them away from certain death in the frozen canal.

Swinging wide of the supports Bruce landed them softly in a drift of snow. He powered up the embankment and raced down the pier toward salvation.

Bruce kicked the door of the building with such force that the top hinge ripped from the metal door and the sign denoting Wayne Castings and Metallurgy embedded itself in the sheet rock of the reception area. Never hesitating, he sprinted through the endless expanse of the factory to his destination, the smelting room.

Wayne Metallurgy had been one of his favorite places to come with his father. He could recall their visits with crystal clarity. He would bother his father endlessly to bring him down so he could watch them assemble the ships. Although there wasn't a market demand to manufacture ships and Bruce had not been emotionally able to return here since the death of his father, he was still unwilling to part with the company. So he had restructured it into a lucrative metal recycling plant and the smelting room remained unchanged and fully utilized and operated.

Bruce staggered to a halt a good hundred feet away from the kettles. Fired to a blistering one thousand two hundred fifty degrees Celsius, even at this distance the temperature was nearly unbearable. The heat radiating off the melted steel ore hit him like a blast furnace. He just hoped he had gotten her here in time.

The adrenalin was seeping out of his system, leaving behind trembling, spent muscles. He held Selina firmly against his chest as he collapsed to his knees with a grunt. She moved in his arms and moaned lightly. Looking down at her face he was relieved to see the ice on her lashes had already melted. He imagined her long hair would curl as the heat evaporated the water from the delicate strands. Bruce felt his heart hammering in his chest as it struggled to push the thin volume of blood through his system. A ghostly smile played across his lips. He cradled her securely as he brought up an unsteady hand to remove the cowl from his head. He pushed it aside with a trembling hand, and it landed unceremoniously on the ground beside them.

Bruce understood that when his heart finally gave in to inevitability of its task he could take comfort in the knowledge that Selina was safe. He lowered his unburdened head into the hollow of her neck and breathed in her scent; gunpowder, ocean and the unique delicate fragrance that was truly Selina. His eyes slid shut and felt exonerated at last from the failures of his past. Absolution followed by the peaceful realization that he would die as himself, as Bruce Wayne. Bruce allowed himself to collapse into her as he peacefully slipped away.

xxxxx

"Bruce." The soft whisper of his name. He turned reflexively to the source. "Selina," his own voice a weak whisper lacking substance, even by his own reckoning. He tried to summon his strength and speak again, but he found his words stolen as cool lips pressed against his in a soft tender kiss.

He surrendered himself to the gentleness, the purity of the moment. He felt like he was spinning, drifting and this was all that was tethering him; her beautiful, delicate, powerful kiss shackled him to this world. Her breath was warm against his lips and his eyelids fluttered when she again spoke his name. Her voice beckoned him to leave the illusions of his dreams and return to the improbable fantasy of her embrace. He weakly nuzzled further into the warmth of her body, relaxing only when her arms were wrapped securely around him again.

xxxx

Selina had awoken hours earlier, finding herself wrapped in the arms of her battered hero. He was unconscious and she was soaked to the bone. Marveling that he was even alive, she had to encourage herself to focus on rendering aid so that he would stay that way.

She quickly stripped off her wet garments leaving herself clad in quickly drying base layers of a bra and panties. She did the same for Wayne, opting to cut the suit off when she realized the extent of his injuries. She had dealt with the stab wound quickly and efficiently. He hadn't even moved when she cleaned and closed the wound. Worried about blood loss she assessed him for signs of shock as she worked. Satisfied Bruce was as comfortable as she could make him, she covered him with a thick welding blanket emblazoned with his other symbol, the Wayne Enterprises logo.

Selina sought protection under it as well. She pressed against him, her skin against his, still relishing the taste of him on her lips as she listened to his labored breathing. She glanced over at the battered cowl and then smoothed her chin against the severe welt that adorned his forehead. It was a safe bet that Bruce had a concussion. She would wake him again in an hour and try to get him lucid. If she couldn't, she would have no choice but to get medical help; secret identity be damned.

She curled her hand protectively around his neck, and felt the powerful muscles of his shoulders flex as he pulled her closer. Her dark eyes glittered and her lips twisted into a devilish smile as she recalled the blade of her knife cutting the suit from those sculpted shoulders. She wished again, for a countless time, that she hadn't extended him the dignified courtesy of retaining his spandex shorts. _We just can't catch a break Mr. Wayne,_ she thought to herself and sighed.


	11. Chapter 11

Bruce felt cool droplets fall against his lips. He turned his head away refusing the offered kindness. Unyielding hands held his chin as water flowed into his mouth. He sputtered as he swallowed the contents.

His eyes rolled as he thought about facing the insurmountable struggle of escaping the pit. _They won't let me die._ Bruce tugged away from the hands at his face as he imagined Bane, standing above him, pressing down on his chest, forcing the disk in his back to grind painfully. He gasped when the hand touched his chest anticipating the eclipsing pain. "Don't have permission to die," he murmured.

"No, you don't Bruce. You don't have permission to die." Selina recapped the water bottle and rubbed his chest gently as he struggled out of his nightmare. Bruce turned away from her and so she laid down behind him, draped across his shoulder. She soothed him with her soft words and light touch. Gradually Bruce stopped resisting the imaginary aggressors and returned to reality.

He blinked slowly, his eyes focusing on the red-orange glow of the melting iron ore. "Where the hell..?"

"Hell was my first guess too." She ran a finger along his jaw. Bruce's eyes left the fire and he turned his head, eyes trailing up the bare arm where he found Selina Kyle smiling knowingly over his shoulder. "Though I doubt I would have had the pleasure of your company in hell," she said allowing the humor to reach her eyes as she spoke. "Hell is no place for a boy scout like you."

Bruce leaned back into her embrace, allowing the soft swells of her breasts to press against his broad back. Selina hooked her leg over his hip and his strong hand immediately found her bare thigh and captured it securely. "If this is hell, I'll gladly face my punishment." His voice was gravelly but stronger.

Relieved that he seemed to be coherent and lucid, Selina lowered her head into the valley of his neck resting her chin on his shoulder. Her head pillowed on the soft vulnerable flesh of his throat as she felt his pulse steady and quick against her cheek. _Welcome back Bruce_ , she thought to herself.

As she curled into him Bruce felt her warm exhale against his neck and was afraid to close his eyes. Either this would be a dream and he would indeed awaken in the pit or he would surrender to his fatigue and this moment would be lost. Either scenario he found unacceptable. Bruce stared at the smelting pots as he savored the feel of her body against him. He lay there marveling at the nearly supernatural aura the kettles produced as the heat mingled the two independent elements of carbon and steel together. Forged and tempered in the unforgiving heat and stress a new element was born from the trauma: Silver Steel. Stronger than the single elements individually, when combined it becomes something more—unbendable, unbreakable.

He turned his head and buried his nose in the soft curls of Selina's hair and sighed. He thought of Talia; of lying with her in front of the fire. The difference between what he had felt for Talia then and the emotions Selina was stirring within him now were as extreme as the fireplace and the smelting pot. One took everything and left ashes, the other threatened to burn through him so completely that she would become part of him, alter him forever.

Bruce turned into her waiting arms.


	12. Chapter 12

Selina felt him shift and she withdrew reluctantly from her comfortable position nestled against him. Bruce didn't allow her to retreat. He moved quickly, ensuring he remained pressed insistently between her thighs. His lips captured hers in a reckless hungry kiss. They dueled for control as each of them was swept up in their own flood of desire.

Selina sighed his name in a breathy whisper and Bruce's response was immediate and aggressive. He pushed her legs wider demanding that she accommodate him. Selina submitted, allowing him the uncontested power position, content that his intensity would serve to fuel her own lustful needs. As he pressed against her Bruce growled his approval when he felt her hips rising to meet his advances. He used a muscled arm to wrap her leg low around his hip, effectively protecting his tender wound while positioning himself to remove the last of their clothing and claim what was rightfully his.

Her mind was clouded by her urgent need as Bruce pulsed what promised to be the key to her release against her body. She moaned her approval into his ear and she would have sworn that she felt him grow even harder. Selina was also acutely aware of the fabric barriers that separated them. If not for her earlier decision favoring discretion, Bruce would have likely buried himself into her with his first animalistic thrust. _Damn shorts._

Bruce slid an arm under Selina and pressed her hard against his chest. Selina gasped softly against his lips and tensed in his arms. Bruce broke away from the kiss tentatively. He took a deliberate moment to collect himself and then looked down at the beautiful woman beneath him. The scraped skin on her face stood like a foreboding omen, a visible reminder that she had not come through this experience completely unscathed.

He watched her for a moment as she panted lightly beneath him, her face a guarded mask of calm control. He recognized that look of masked pain from his own mirror. _Well that's not good. Fuck._ . He hadn't even asked...didn't think to check if she was alright. The fact that he had completely disregarded her well-being tore at his heart. Bruce marveled at his own selfish carelessness. He was disgusted by it. He brushed stray tendrils of hair from her brow as he forced himself to calm.

Selina recognized that Bruce was valiantly trying to restrain himself. She could see the smoldering want in his green eyes. Even his body was betraying him as it throbbed against her, still demanding entrance and release.  _It probably wouldn't take much to end this stalemate._ Selina leveraged her leg to pull him closer lifting her hips as she moved.

Bruce felt her leg tense. Both of them looked down at where the blanket had fallen away, revealing his hand holding her bare leg protectively in place, not allowing her to tease him into action. Her eyes flashed back to up to his face as she felt a wave of desire for him surge through her body. "Please Bruce," she urged him softly.

Not even Selina's soft plea would move him. She was forced to wait in tortured silence as Bruce allowed his eyes to make their way back to her in a slow, deliberate ascent as they traveled over every inch of her body. Selina longed to have his lips on hers again, to feel his solid weight against her. She tried to temper her expectations for their joining with the knowledge that neither was a hundred percent right now. Heaven help her if he had been firing on all cylinders. She smiled at the prospect. Taking the edge off now might just save her life later when the training wheels come off for real.

"Selina" His voice was soft and carried a nearly palpable sadness in its tone.

"Bruce?" Her soft smile faltered as she saw the haunted look in his eyes, "Are…are you alright?" she searched his face with growing concern and apprehension.

He swallowed thickly as his eyes dropped down and his hand retraced their journey. She watched as his hand touched lightly over several deep abrasions on her well muscled leg, sliding across the slim swell of her hip they delicately traced the deep purple bruises that laced across her abdomen finally coming to rest on her right hip just below a bandage taped to her side. His soft eyes met hers; they were filled with unspoken questions and concern.

"It's not as bad as it looks." She attempted to soothe away the worry from his eyes. "Just bumps and bruises." She wasn't sure why she suddenly felt the need to defend her condition.

He pushed up to his knees and let his eyes roam her body. They returned to the rippling welts and darkening bruises defacing her abdomen. Bruce had enough firsthand experience with broken ribs that he felt confident in his diagnosis now. He traced a light finger over the damage. _Two broken for sure on the right, another possibly on the left. Jesus how hard did I push?_ Bruce ran a hand through his hair in distress.

Selina watched him warily not understanding his reaction. For one of the few times in her life Selina felt self-conscious and unsure of her body. She crossed a protective arm over her stomach she sat up and demanded an explanation from the man causing it. "Bruce what the hell is wrong with you?"

His eyes narrowed as he reached for her hand. She realized to late why and she reflexively clenched both her hands into fists and dropped them away from him. His eyes flashed with momentary anger and in an instant her hands were captured in his and he was turning them over with gentle unrelenting insistence. He gave her a wordless look of warning when she tried to physically pull away from him. Selina was once again taken aback by his strength and speed.

Bruce looked up from the carnage that had been her nail beds understanding with complete clarity the scenario that caused it. He pushed down his emotions and coolly demanded that Selina tell him what happened to her side. When she didn't respond Bruce removed the tape from her wound and looked for himself. His eyes went wide in surprise.

She remembered desperately trying to free herself from the driving water that threatened to eject her into the canal. The Italian leather gloves she wore offered her no protection against the rebar and jagged concrete that she clutched to as she was being washed along the corridor. They had been purchased with one function in mind, safe-cracking. The leather was so soft and thin that you could feel the tumblers click with the same accuracy as a bare hand, better because you never had to worry about prints. Now they were ruined too she lamented their loss along with her razor heeled boots.

Despite their lack of functionality, the gloves had given an assist when she made a last desperate attempt to escape. She was swept along the last few feet of tunnel when she saw an opportunity. She pushed off the floor and grasped onto a twisted metal support protruding over the corridor. She called on every last strength reserve to hoist herself free of the water. Trembling and numb she had managed to hook a booted foot over the bar and hung in three-point suspension over the rushing water. She closed her eyes for a moment arguing with herself over what to do. Her irrational mind was telling her that with her climbing ability and training she could hang here all day regardless of how tired she was and just wait for the cavalry to show up with blankets and coffee. Her realistic mind was telling her that she was already damn near dead from stage two hypothermia and her collapse was imminent. _What a downer reality could be sometimes…_ She heard a voice and looked up hopefully as the shots rang out.

The gloves had eventually met their end under the ice. Caught on the battle field between the unforgiving jagged ice and Selina's desperate nails, they had quickly shredded and peeled back leaving Selina bare handed as she tried clawing her way to through the ice to freedom. She had pushed through a section of ice, but by then her body couldn't respond to her commands to pull herself through. That was it; just calm surrender as her heart slowed and the need for oxygen subsided, she no longer needed to struggle. There was no pain, just blissful numbness. The pain came later as she was trying to stitch Bruce's wound.

She had procured a first aide bag from the nurse's office in the administrative area of the facility. The latex gloves she had forced her hands into were slowly filling with her own warm blood as she worked. As her fingertips were warmed by their own leaking contents, they began to thaw. When the circulation returned so came the pain. She had given not a thought to herself or her own pain as she worked to save him. She had wanted to do it, needed to do it for him. And she had to prove something to herself, that she could be worthy of more in her life-worthy of a clean slate.

She regarded Bruce now with an uneasy apprehension that seemed vaguely familiar, she crinkled her brow when a memory surfaced…

She had been young and things were already going badly with her father. They had a dog that she had grown up with and loved named Whiskey. One day without warning he had growled at her. She hadn't understood what had provoked him. She had backed slowly away as the dog showed his fangs and snarled. She turned and saw her father. He grabbed at the dog and Whiskey bit him. He had beaten the dog severely for the betrayal and slung him outside. He took some heavy chain from his shop and tethered him to a tree in the back yard. Selina had been forbidden from letting him in the house again.

The attack had frightened her. Shocked her. After that day she knew she would never trust the dog again. When she looked at him from then on she didn't know what emotion should fill in the void where the love had once been. The betrayal and fear she felt were too small to encompass the enormous space. They were just emotional drains that, when she allowed herself to experience them, left her feeling sick to her stomach and her heart like a lead weight in her chest. No, the only thing that seemed to have the same strength and dimension as love was anger. But anger had a sneaky way of slowly changing over time and evolving into something even bigger than love. It became the strongest most dangerous emotion of all: Hate.

She hated him because he had with that one act twisted the innocent trust she had for him into something dark… into hate.

Bruce shook her shoulder, gently rousing her from her deep thoughts. "Selina, is this or is this not a gunshot wound?" She could tell by the agitation and strain in his voice that he must have had asked her this repeatedly.

Selina nodded without meeting his eyes, old memories and thoughts still tumbling through her head.

Bruce reached out to touch her face and she flinched away from his hand. He swallowed the pain that brought and pressed on, capturing her chin gently in his palm. He tilted her face up to him and waited for her to meet his gaze. He puzzled at the fear and pain he saw there in her glittering brown eyes. His stomach clenched as he felt the presence of an unknown threat. His breath came quicker as he watched a tear slip from her eye.

Selina remembered the look on Bruce's face as Bane's trap sprung came to the realization of whom she was... who she always had been. _I am the one that couldn't be trusted. I am the wildcard... the unpredictable...I am the one that would turn and bite without provocation. Bruce should hate me for it, and he would be right in doing so. I hate me for it._

Bruce slipped his arms under her and gently lifted her onto his lap. The fear and apprehension he felt twisting in his gut had his chest rising and falling quickly as he worked to stay on top of it. He eventually felt her lean into his chest and his heart stuttered in sheer relief of her simple acceptance of his comfort. He stroked her long hair and when she looked up at him he kissed her, hoping she felt even a fraction of what he did when she had kissed him earlier. He gently laid her back onto the blankets and deepened the kiss. He promised himself that this time he would do things right.


	13. Chapter 13

She had to trust him. That was the bottom line.

Bruce hesitated, holding his body above hers, waiting for her to open her eyes and seek him out. When she did, she blinked at his closeness and tried to reengage his lips against hers. Bruce allowed her to pull him closer and sighed in contentment as her hands ran across his shoulders and chest. He murmured her name and kissed gently at the corner of her lips. "Forgive me Selina," he whispered the request lightly but it carried the weight of his soul.

Selina blinked incredulously at the proposition. "Really an apology? To me of all people? You haven't done any—"

He nuzzled under her chin, interrupting her defense of his character and raised his soft eyes to her, "I hurt you and I upset you." He was surprised by how hard it was for him to admit that.

Selina shook her head again, "No Bruce, it's…" She shrugged not knowing how to continue.

Bruce nipped at her lip. "So help me Selina, if you say 'it's you not me,' I will pick you up and throw you back in the canal."

She snorted out a laugh. Her beautiful teeth flashed and just like that Bruce had hope again. He dipped down and captured her smiling lips with his. He felt her relax into his touch as he traced a hand down her jaw and caressed her graceful neck. Bruce found himself pushing further in his exploration, but stopped when he realized his hand had found her breast. When he broke from her lips they were both panting slightly and he could see dark passion coloring her brown eyes as she was arching into his touch. He found it difficult not to address the need that they both were feeling, but he had to do this. She was worth him doing this the right way.

"Selina," he paused as his eyes drifted over her, "I need you to know that I would never intentionally hurt you, but after I pulled you out of the water..." He hesitated and snuck a side look at her and dropped his head lower still, "I may have broken your ribs."

Selina crinkled her brow in amusement and confusion. From the gravity of his tone, one would have thought Bruce had just confessed to axe-murdering the Pope. "How about you start from the beginning, big guy, and I'll decide if I accept your apology."

Bruce exhaled and dropped his head against her shoulder not wanting to look at her when he told the story of her rescue. He found the view offered by her lace bra an acceptable alternative. Selina listened in quiet amazement as he told her everything her remembered from waking on the roof top to the present. The only exception was when he lifted his head from its rest to ask her about the florescent mark on her suit.

Selina considered the possibilities and determined that her IR marker must have crushed during her adventure through the pipe. Bruce found this plausible and although he was intrigued to hear more about it, she was obviously dancing around telling him more. This of course only made his curiosity greater. In an effort to throw the hound off the trail, Selina reached out beside them and pulled over her tattered suit. He watched her quietly as she unzipped the compartment and produced the demolished remains of a Guardian IR marker. She handed the marker to him and rested her chin on his shoulder as they both considered the implications. "Lucky for me I ordered the one with the plastic case instead of the metal one huh?"

Bruce inspected the splintered shards of plastic. "Lucky for me," he stated quietly. He was thinking about how this small insignificant item had been the difference in her warm body against his right now and her frozen remains being dredged from the water by Gordon's men at the MCU. He slipped an arm around her waist, resting a possessive hand on her hip. He fingered the bandage at her side. "Lucky for me someone is a shitty shot too, I guess." He imagined the damage if the round had landed true rather than just grazing through her flesh.

Selina anticipating this morbid response and ran a hand through his dark hair. "Bruce, don't dig graves for the living. It all worked out, I'm right here."

He pushed hard against the memory of Rachel, but Selina noticed the haunted look and slid down beside him. "Bruce…?"

He tossed the marker aside and wrapped his arms around her, lowering his head to the comfort of her chest. He finally realized that if it was trust he wanted from her, it was going to take brutal honesty from him to earn it. Pay it forward…with a pound of flesh, he thought grimly. The loud beat of her heart soothed him as he tried to find a way to get through it. There was no way to tell her about Rachel without explaining the League of Shadows, the Joker, Harvey Dent, and Gordon.

He took a breath and proceeded to lay himself bare before her.

As he actually listened to himself relating the insane details of his past, he was increasingly shocked and frankly impressed that she hadn't just stopped him and walked away from the entire situation. He wouldn't have blamed her a bit. _She should be terrified. Look at Bane and the plague of horrors that had already been unleashed upon her just by her association with Batman._ Several times he raised his head and captured her eyes hoping she would stop him from sharing the next terrible detail, but she just looked back at him with those unflappable cool eyes of hers that made him feel that she had seen all of this shit before and worse. If it was a poker face it was the best he had ever seen- he hoped for her sake that it was.

Evidently Selina Kyle even had her limits because as he spoke about the Joker he felt her hands tighten protectively around him, heard her heartbeat quicken in her chest. Bruce didn't look at her this time, he didn't give her the chance to stop him; he was too afraid that she might. He needed to get through this and tell her his plan.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXX

Selina watched him closely as he lifted his head from her chest and pushed up to sit before her, his eyes tired and haunted as he looked to her for a reaction. She rolled onto her knees and then climbed to her feet with some effort, bracing her ribs lightly as she stood.

Bruce flinched at the pang of guilt that it brought to watch her in pain. But as she walked a few steps away, it wasn't feelings of guilt that he was struggling to control. He had lain curled at her breast for the past hour, smelling her light feminine sent. _Now this. Jesus…her ass. That sway when she walked…_

He felt himself hardening uncontrollably as he watched her bend over and rummage through a black bag she must have discovered somewhere in the factory. His breath was labored as he felt actual physical pain from the want that was pulsing through him. Bruce refused to look at her as she returned. It was her walk, the way her hips rolled…that was his undoing. What had Alfred told him? _Know your limits. Ok Alfred I'm listening now. Here it is, that's my limit._ He blew out a breath he had realized he was holding. He focused his eyes directly in front of him and nearly moaned aloud when she sat down there and her breast bounced lightly, restrained only by the delicate lace of her black brassiere.

Selina handed him a water bottle. "I loaded it with an electrolyte mix I found in one of the worker's gym bags. Drink it."

Bruce accepted the bottle and her order as non-negotiable and obediently pounded the liquid down. At this particular moment he would have drunk motor oil if Selina Kyle had told him to do it. He felt her eyes on him and he glanced up at her guiltily. Selina seemed oblivious to his discomfort and for that he was grateful. She did however fix him with a pointed look and asked him the most obvious question, "Bruce, why the hell did you tell me all of that?"

It was also the question he was least prepared to answer honestly. Well I guess they were going to see how good a poker face Bruce Wayne possessed. Selina listened as Bruce laid out the things he needed her help with and ended with his plan to turn over Gotham to Blake. She watched him all the while with those predatory eyes of hers. Bruce met her stare with his own unflinching gaze. Selina rocked forward onto her feet and stood before him. Bruce kept his eyes locked on hers, refusing to let them travel down her body. Now that was a struggle indeed.

"Bruce, none of that answered my question. Why do you need my help? You said Fox will figure it out. Hell, he already suspects you're alive."

Bruce startled at the revelation. Fox. A small smile pulled at his lip.

His little smirk only served to alienate Selina further. _Really, Mr. Wayne, you wanna play hard to get? Fine by me_. Selina softened her question. "Bruce, why not just have Fox help you? Why bring me in on this?" She asked the question as she paced the outer border of the wielding blankets. His eyes dropped down to her bare feet and Selina knew she found his Kryptonite. She continued to pace through his field of vision, "Why even fake your death at all Bruce? With Blake as Batman you could live out your years having breakfast at the Yacht club and dinner at Tangle ridge?."

"Actually, the Yacht club only serves lunch. Well, they do put on a nice brunch on Sundays," Bruce stated coyly. Selina looked over her shoulder and saw him looking at her with liquid heat in his eyes. She curled her lip into a satisfied smile. There was her man, she had waited for him long enough. _Time to stop playing nice and just get down to it._

Bruce stood and turned toward her. His eyes locked on her as she walked toward him, it was hypnotizing. She didn't stop moving until her chest was against his and her abdomen pressed against his ready erection.

"Answer the question Bruce. Why tell me all of this? What's the truth? What do you really want from me?"

Selina had dared him to take the final step. His eyes met hers and she was surprised to see pity in them and she immediately regretted her challenge. You just don't push the Batman. He knew she wasn't ready, not to hear the real truth. But, she had pushed him just far enough that he gave her some of the reality of what he would demand of her.

He pulled her against his chest, heedless of her injuries, enveloping her with that deceptive strength he harbored in a billionaire's body. When he spoke she understood he was still the man in the cape; Bruce and Batman were truly one in the same. When he spoke she heard Batman in his voice. "I want you to know me, all of me, completely." He crushed his lips to hers and felt her tremble beneath his touch. He released her with obvious disappointment when she resisted against him.

Bruce turned away from her, facing away from the fire and into the darkness. He let his face hide in the shadows as he considered the various dark passages leading away from the orange glow of this one room. This was the epicenter of the operation, the living heart of the factory. It never stopped. Remembering his father's voice with the unblemished clarity and fascination of his younger self as the doctor in him explained the business of the factory like it was a living organism. Nothing exists, Bruce, without this supporting its life. Like a heart it never rests, its heat constant and true through the toughest of Gotham's winters. Without this one thing everything else is irrelevant. Without this nothing else exists. Watching their shadows on the wall, Bruce stood silent and still as she turned to face him. His eyes slid shut and he waited. This room still held everything. Either she would be the person he thought she was now, or it would never be.

Selina had listened to Bruce relate the saga of Batman and his plan to leave Gotham behind, as he turned away she finally understood what he wanted from her. She nearly laughed aloud at the irony. _Bruce expected me to save him from the Batman._ Then she did laugh at the absurdity of it all.

She, with her own dark demons, understood better than anyone the curse of living in duality. "You think there is a choice to make here? To be or not to be?" She shook her head and laughed. "You've experienced too much Shakespearean influence from your old English butler my friend. There isn't a choice. You are Batman as much as you were ever Bruce Wayne." She stated the fact bluntly. "You don't have the luxury of walking away from him." She shook her head at her own naivety, "I can't believe I even asked you to try."

She considered her next comment and realized he deserved to know the truth of her beliefs. "You think it was Rachel's ghost haunting you those eight years? Pal, that was him. You tried to bury him, but the Batman was too powerful to stay down." She continued unchecked, "Now you think by Blake taking over your little haunted mansion the ghost will stay with him? The ghost is in you Bruce. You are Batman and he is you."

As she spoke Bruce had turned his face to the side lowering his chin to his shoulder as her words collided against him. Selina stepped in front of him now and touched her fingers lightly to his stomach. "Bruce, either face that fact and build a life that includes him, or hide and the truth of him will eventually find you." She looked at him gravely. When he does find you, he will rip apart any phony façade of a life you tried to construct for yourself."

Bruce rolled his eyes open and his chin lifted, the shadows of the room played off his face and for a second he was Batman. Selina saw the shadow of the cowl across his face the serious line of his lips and jaw, those knowing eyes. Her breath caught in her throat. His eyes glittered keenly as he wrapped his arms around her protectively and waited for her predictably volatile reaction. Selina pushed away from his chest, her piercing eyes studying him. She hadn't told the bastard anything that he didn't already know. He was testing her, trapping her in it with him. As the realization set in, her anger flared.

 _And to the victor go the spoils._ Bruce smiled as he lifted her against him and crushed his lips to hers burying her angry words in the passion that flowed from his every pore. She dug her nails painfully into his neck and climbed up his body until he was straining to stay in possession of her lips. Breaking away from his kiss, she glared at him darkly. "Well played Bruce."

His voice was hoarse with emotion and desire. "When the stakes are high you do what you have to do to win."

Realizing he was no longer supporting her with his arms he took advantage and slid his hands up to grip the hips that were resting against his stomach, sliding his hands seductively over the lace panties that still separated him from his just reward.

"Bruce, why...me?" Her voice was soft.

He relaxed his tensed shoulders and she reciprocated by sliding further down to meet his eyes. He caressed her back gently. He decided if she needed to hear the words he would be man enough to say them. "Because I want to be with someone who can accept me for everything I am and everything I've done." He waited a beat. "I deserve it, I've earned it. We both have."

He saw the skeptical look in her eyes and understood her doubts. "Selina, I know exactly who you are. There will never be anything that you will have to hide from me. I've known you from the second you walked into my life. I know you have a dark side, it doesn't scare me. I just had to make sure you could accept me with mine." He kissed her softly. "There is nothing more poetic than two kindred souls finding each other, saving one another from a lost and pointless existence." Bruce spoke his final plea into her ear as a soft, barely audible whisper. "Save me Selina Kyle."


	14. Chapter 14

"Don't let me regret this, Boy Scout." She was clinging to his neck and shoulders, her hot breath on his ear causing his stomach to clench and quiver. Then she found his lips and his rational thought was gone.

Bruce turned and took two strides and he was already laying her as gently as he could onto the blankets. Her mouth was on his, devouring and demanding. His mind felt foggy and disconnected, but his hands were quick, already working the lace panties down her thighs. Bruce wished that he could make this more than it was promising to be, take more control over his actions, be less of an animal, but none of that looked like a possibility. He didn't want his own impulsive lust to— the thought cut off as he felt her pulling at his shorts and he smiled. _That's my girl._

His eyes blazed as he watched her set him free, the lust and need on her face had him on her in a heartbeat, his mouth hard and demanding as he pressed himself against her. He threw back his head when he felt her cool hands, delicately surround him. Bruce stilled as she positioned him at her moist entrance. He watched her face as he pushed inside her. Selina spread herself wider giving him access to all of her. The sight of her beneath him, trusting him with this most intimate part of herself took him to a primal level of possession. His arms shook with the effort it took to defend her from himself, to not drive into the hilt, to claim her like he wanted to.

Selina watched him through half closed eyes as he slowly filled her. He was beautiful as the orange light of the fire flickered off the muscular shelf of his chest. His shoulders flexed powerfully as he held himself above her. She moaned as he pushed deeper still.

Her soft moan buckled his resolve and he had to move. Sliding slowly against her warm walls he felt her immediately softening, lubricating his movements. Tight wet heat. Nothing more in the universe mattered as he moved in her with controlled, measured thrusts.

Selina's eyes were clouded with desire as she looked up at him. She lifted her hand to his face and Bruce felt like her soft touch scorched his skin as she stroked his brow. He kissed her wrist as she slid her hand behind his neck. He allowed her to pull him down against her chest. Mindful of her ribs he tried to keep his weight off her, but she was insistent, demanding he go harder to satisfy her. He groaned in frustration, but they both knew he would deny her no longer. He gave into her will. Bruce ground harder, pushed deeper, drove harder for her. She moaned her approval in his ear. He slipped his hands beneath her hips, angling her under him and a few thrusts later he felt her hot walls pulsing around him.

He watched her gratification, relishing the intimacy of the experience. _She was exquisite, her hair wild behind her. Eyes dreamily fixed on his face, her lips parted slightly as her body rocked against him, around him in rhythmic waves._ Then she said his name, just a husky whisper, but Bruce felt his heart squeeze in his chest. He had to stop himself from unraveling at the sheer perfection of it. Eight years in emotional purgatory seemed like a small price to pay for this. God how he needed this, needed her.

Bruce shuddered as the demand for release waved over him. His breath came in thready gasps as he felt the liquid heat building in his belly. Determined to put off the inevitable and prolong this experience with her he started to pull away. As he moved to sit back Selina hooked her legs around his thigh and leveraged herself with him and he was caught. _Batman, trapped again by this woman; by this beautiful, graceful, powerful woman._

"Let go Bruce."

His eyes flashed with unguarded desire as he once again gave in to her will. His hands slid down to the most dangerous part of her and he pulled himself deeper as the world reduced to only Selina. He felt the warm eruption come from deep inside. As he spilled himself into her, the only word he knew was her name.


	15. Chapter 15

Selina held him steady as Bruce lost himself in the moment. She felt him swell inside her and the muscles of his abdomen quivering beneath her thighs, his body straining and vibrating under her as he drove the last desperate thrusts into her. As he released she could feel the warm pulse inside her and she felt a satisfaction that she couldn’t explain. It was the predicted end to a biological act, but it felt like more than just the culmination of their act. It felt amazing, it felt _right_ . It was stupid she knew, but this felt the way she thought sex _should_ feel, the way _she should feel_. Not feeling used, not fighting the guilt and shame that seemed to always eat away at her in the moments that followed the act.

She pushed away the crap crowding her mind and focused on Bruce. Running her hands through his sweat soaked hair she listened to the sound of his breathing, of deep draws of wind into his chest. _She thought of the racetrack_ , _the powerful sound of the horses breathing after they ran. She hadn’t thought about that summer in...forever._ Selina smiled at the memory.

He felt drunk, intoxicated off her. Shutting his eyes, he relaxed into the feeling of her hands. His head dropped back as he continued to kneel; supporting them both on his damaged knees, unwilling to move because the pleasure far outweighed the pain. Selina smoothed his hair and massaged the taut muscles in his neck and shoulders, marveling at how he had gone from powerful to vulnerable in a matter of moments. It made her soul ache to see him like this—open and unguarded, that he could feel this safe with her. She circled her arms lightly around his shoulders and she had to fight back her emotions when she felt him gently surround her with his arms.

Bruce finally lay back, holding her to his chest. There was one benefit to finding someone that understood you, most of the time you understood them pretty damn well too. Someone that had lived a life like Selina didn’t come into this without her share of war wounds and not just the external ones. If she was holding him like this, it was because that was exactly what she needed for herself. Bruce wrapped her in his arms, placing a soft tender kiss her on her forehead. He dropped another to the curve of her jaw, and another to the soft slope of her neck. He deeply inhaled the smell of her that mixed with the erotic scent of sex still prevalent in the air.

It was like a sensory overload, but he did have a moment of clarity where he realized several important facts. Fact One: he was still inside her. Fact Two: he was getting aroused by fact number one. Fact Three: her bra was still on.  _Come on Wayne? How the hell does that happen? Eight years locked up with no action was exactly how,_ he chastised himself _._ He nearly groaned aloud in frustration.

Selina felt him touching the fabric of her bra and an amused smile lightened her face. “I was wondering when you were going to get around to those, Big guy.”

He smiled at her “Is now too soon.?”

Selina shivered in anticipation as she felt him growing inside her. You haven’t got your fill yet Mr. Wayne?”

“I’m a man born to wealth and privilege Selina, we never stop with just the first course.” He felt along the lace strap for the clasp. _Shit, it had been a long time if I couldn’t even unhook a bra..._

Selina pushed off his chest and settled herself on his hardening body. “Well I know how you rich people are helpless and like to have everything done for you.” She reached between her breasts and unclasped the hidden hook. She held the fabric together with a smirk.

He swallowed hard. “Gonna make me beg? Because I hope you know I will.”

Selina smiled. _Well what do you know, Wayne has a sense of humor_. “Would you ever make me beg for it Bruce?”

Bruce smiled, “Probably, but just not this soon into things.”

Selina laughed and the sound was like music to them both. She looked down at him. “You have a beautiful smile Mr. Wayne.”

He regarded her from his strange state of amused arousal. “You have beautiful breasts Ms. Kyle.”

She wrinkled her brows. “You haven’t even seen them yet.”

Acutely aware of his current condition he spoke to that fact. “I’m anticipating losing the ability to speak shortly, but judging from what I’ve already seen tonight, I’m betting you’ll deserve the compliment.”

Selina rocked on him gently. She liked the immediate flash of desire she saw in his eyes. “Blood flow will be going other places than your brain Mr. Wayne?” She continued to hold the black lace across her chest.

He could see the bottom curves of her chest now, but no more. Bruce nearly growled. _She was going to tease him. Dammit to hell._ She really didn’t understand how much it had taken out of him earlier not to let go, this was trouble. He glanced down at her bruised body reminding himself to take care. His heart pounded and he regarded her with serious eyes. “Please Selina...”

When he dropped into the dark and serious tone, that’s when she could see the man with the guts to dive after her into the canal and fight Bane toe to toe, that is when she saw the Batman.

“Selina…” he warned her again. She smiled and pulled the fabric apart as she slid him deeper into her body. His hands stripped the small garment from her shoulders and those same hands took over the task of supporting her firm breasts as she ground into him. Bruce met her rhythm with his body as she rode him and time seemed to stop completely. Bruce watched her move over him bathed in the orange firelight, she was beyond anything he had ever imagined. He dropped his hands to her hips just to watch the sway of her breasts in the light. “Breathtaking.”

She acknowledged the compliment with a sly smile. His hands wrapped around her hips, gripping her ass as she continued to escalate her pace. She moaned and threw her head back as she chased her own completion. Bruce started driving up into her as he held her hips hard to his pelvis. She continued to build as he pushed into her. She hitched her breath and he knew she was there, but he wasn’t letting her have it her way this time, not nice and not easy. He continued to pump into her as her orgasm ripped through her and the friction of their flesh rode the line between pleasure and pain,” Bruce, please. Please.” 

He didn’t ask if it was please stop or please go, because he couldn’t have stopped if he had wanted to. His hands locked down on her hips as he pulled and thrust over and over again until he joined her in the oblivion beyond climax.

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	16. Chapter 16

Selina's eyes snapped open as she listened to the sounds around her. She had learned long ago to respond to her gut, trust her instincts and act on hunches. Now she was hyper aware of her surroundings; why? She had had been resting on Bruce's shoulder as he slept, but now her head was hovering just above him cocked slightly to the side. Selina remained like this, listening. Her lips parted and her eyes unfocused as she concentrated. Then suddenly she was moving, clearing the distance between their pallet of blankets on the floor to the gym bag in one long soundless leap. Bruce sat up and saw only a flash of skin as she cleared the room.

"What?" he muttered as he tried to clear his head from the deep grasp exhaustion had clamped onto him.

"Hold hands in air," came the order from across the room. Bruce froze, his hands that were scrubbing at his face dropped as he watched the man slowly crossing the room with a shot-gun pointed directly at his chest. Just when Bruce thought things couldn't get any worse, they did.

"Bruce Wayne?" the voice was a heavily accented mix of shocked dismay and total relief.

"Mr Ruskia," Bruce stated the greeting matter-of-factly. They might as well have been meeting like old times in the board room of Wayne tower rather than in the middle of a Gotham war zone.

The old man's smile faltered as his gaze fell to the floor and the sight of the cowl that sat basking in the orange light of the molten ore. His eyes remained on the pointed ears of the Batman's signature helmet for several long seconds. Then his eyes traveled the short distance back to Wayne. He swallowed thickly. "Sfânt Maica Domnului!" He dropped the barrel of the shot-gun away from Bruce and the instant he did a soft sound behind him had him turning into the gun of Selina Kyle.

Selina had cleared the warm room in seconds as she slipped on a dark hooded sweat shirt she had liberated from the worker's locker room. She padded down the connecting hall following the shuffling footfalls of the intruder. She had crept as silent as a shadow behind him, anticipating armed military forces or police officers. She was a little disappointed to see the ragged, tattered jacket of a steel worker moving ahead of her. His hitching gate was a testament to his age and infirmed condition. She relaxed until she saw the cold glint of the steel barrels reflecting in the light. When she heard him say Bruce's name she felt her stomach twist and she cursed herself for not destroying the evidence of the Batsuit when she had the opportunity. She was sad in knowing the old man would pay the ultimate price for her momentary lapse.

She stepped in close as he turned, hooking the shot gun against her side as she slid her hand into the hollow between the pins and the primer and pressed her own weapon against his cheek. The man's finger reflexively pulled the trigger and the pins snapped painfully, but safely into the webbing of Selina's hand. "Shit!" She hissed out in pain. Cocking her own pistol she pressed it against his cheek.

"Relax," Bruce ordered firmly. "Mr. Ruskia is an old friend of the family."

The shocked man staggered away and Selina was left holding both weapons. Staring between Wayne and the woman he realized it was true. "Batman! Este de necrezut. Youare chiar el. Tu și femeia sunt eroi! Ai salvat Gotham." He continued to babble in his native Romanian.

The Romanian words were lost on his ears, but it was clear the Batman's secret was out. Bruce rubbed his forehead as he considered the situation.

Selina remained unmoved as she pointed her handgun at the old man. "Bruce. He knows, your cover is blown."

Bruce growled in frustration. "Selina—" He cut himself off when he saw the incredulous look she gave him when he used her name.

"Hey! Way to drag me down with you Wayne!"

Bruce rolled his eyes at her and stood pulling on his under shorts as he rose. "You have any other clothes in there?" Selina sat the shot-gun down and reached into the bag to toss him the sweat pants that paired with the Gotham Rogues football hoodie that covered her.

The long time foreman of Wayne Metallurgy bent slowly and picked up the cowl from its resting place on the dirty floor of the smelting room. His eyes shone with a wonder and respect that was nearly enough to make Selina lower her weapon. Nearly. He found his tentative grasp on English again. "It's amazing what you have done. You're…the Batman."

Selina watched them both impassively as she wondered how this could end anyway but with Bruce's idenity splashed across the headlines. Selina considered if she would be able to pull the trigger against the old man? _For herself no. For Wayne..._

"Mr Ruskia—" Bruce started to try to leverage the situation and was interrupted as a sudden light flashed in the man's eyes.

"Anca!"

Bruce's face turned anxious, "How is—"

The old man rushed forward to him and Selina had to suppress the reflex to pull the trigger. Bruce gave her a glare of warning over the old man's shoulder as they hugged. "Ea este fantastica. Ei bine, în cele din urmă și suntem atât de fericiți!" As he again hugged Bruce, Selina uncocked her weapon and accepted the fact that they were royally screwed.

Not having understood but one word of the man's words, fantastica, Bruce couldn't help but smile even in light of his current situation. "I'm very happy about that Mr. Ruskia."

"It is because of this man that I still have my heart, mi soare! My Anca! My beautiful wife of fifty-four years!" He chattered now at Selina. "The doctor came, we could not understand even one word he speaks. But he saved my Anca!"

Bruce was amused at the image of the Swedish surgeon's struggle to communicate with the Ruskia Romanian clan.

"I tried to see you to give you my many thanks to tell you—what you..."

Bruce stopped him. "You don't have to than—"

The passion flamed into the old man's eyes, "Yes, you have to know! You cannot pass over what you did. You cannot make small—it was everything. No doctor could do for Anca. Until he. Until you sent him." Ruskia stared down at the cowl in his hand and the gravity of the situation reflected in the old man's eyes. "Now again you save my family, you saved us all." His eyes shone with tears as he spoke to Selina. "His father, rest him in heaven, he was the greatest man I ever knew. He gave my family a life in America, and you!" He pointed at Bruce, "You kept me and my men at work while many starved in the streets, you kept us fed." The cowl felt heavy in his old hands as he regarded the implications of Wayne's alternate ego. "You are truly a son that brings Dr. Wayne great honor." Tears filled his eyes. "I am blessed to have known you both."

Bruce laid his hand gently on the old man's shoulders. "It's me that needs your help now Mr. Ruskia."

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Selina shook her head at Bruce when the old man hurried off to his task. "Not a smart choice Wayne." She stated flatly.

"Well it's my only choice Selina." That was the only defense Bruce chose to offer as he drummed his fingers thoughtfully on the scarred cowl.

"He will be running his trap by dinner tonight." She taunted lightly. "Eating tapioca pudding and dishing about the Batman at the senior citizens' center."

Bruce ignored her as he waited for the elderly man to return. His mind was playing through the various scenarios as he heard shouts from the front of the building.

"I am the foreman!" The loud thick accent was clearly Ruskia. "You are not permitted on this private place! This belongs to Bruce Wayne!"

Bruce swept up the remains of their suits and balled them into a bundle around his boots and cowl, racing closer to the smelting pots he tossed their remains into the lava-like contents of the kettle. The materials combusted before they touched the molten steel, burning away all evidence of their presence. Selina slipped her feet into the collapsing remains of her custom calf skin leather boots zipping the sides as Bruce was hauling her to her feet. "Move!" He hissed urgently.

Again the distressed cry of the foreman came as he demanded that Wayne Enterprises be notified of the illegal search. Bruce, bare-chested and barefoot, pulled Selina after him as they hurried deeper into the warehouse. What could only have been salty Romanian curses echoed off the walls around them. Bruce stopped briefly to get his bearings as Selina squinted in the dark trying to see who was coming. "Go! Go!" she ordered quickly. "It's the military." She shot down the nearest corridor not caring where it led as long as it put distance between them and the soldiers.

Bruce followed suit, quickly overtaking her and pulling her down a maze of connecting rooms. They followed the conveyor system deeper into the processing plant. Thinking critically, Bruce suggested that she round back and make contact with the team, try to use her relationship with them to buy time. Selina snorted in derision. "Oh I doubt I'll be doing that, Wayne. After all, they were the ones who shot me."

V V V V V V V V

Romanian Translations:

Sfânt Maica Domnului- Holy Mother of God

Batman! Este de necrezut. Youare chiar el. Tu și femeia sunt eroi! Ai salvat Gotham-Batman! It is unbelievable. You are really him. You and the woman are heroes! You saved Gotham!

mi soare ! My Anca - my sun! My Anca (Anna)

Ea este fantastica. Ei bine, în cele din urmă și suntem atât de fericiți! -She is fantastic. Well at last and we are so happy!


	17. Chapter 17

Marius Ruskia watched as the team of soldiers moved into the factory. He shuffled back into the room where he had first discovered the owner of Wayne Enterprises and looked with relief as the room was cleared of both Wayne and any remnants of the Batman. A small smile lit the old man's face. _Young Bruce had spent many a day scouting through this old place. Trailing Wayne through here would be like chasing a rabbit into the briar patch; you thought you had him, but really, he was right where he wanted to be._

An unsteady hand fished into his pocket and touched the sharp metal edges of its contents, reassuring himself that this wasn't a dream. He contemplated the requests made of him from Wayne: confidentiality, consignment and transportation. Simple requests that he had vowed to honor with all that he was as a man. He swelled with pride that Wayne believed in him enough that he would trust him with his secret, his very life. Ruskia marveled that a simple man like he would now be a part of Batman. Even in this small way, it was an honor so great it touched his soul.

He pulled out the piece of dark metal and turned it over with his callused fingers. _Mr. Wayne called it a batarang._ The imposing shape of it capturing the very essence of Batman: dark, mysterious, dangerous. He contemplated the size and dimensions that Wayne had requisitioned for the casting. The irony of the situation occurred to him as he realized it would be metal forged from Wayne's own factory that would soon cast the shadow of the bat above Gotham. A new signal to call the Batman back into service. "Silver Steel it shall be Mr. Wayne."

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Bruce moved quickly, the skin of his bare chest and shoulders flashed in the ambient light that filtered through the factory windows. Selina trailed directly behind as he hooked around a corner. Then they were at a flat out run. The only sounds were the quick slapping of his bare feet and the faintest of impacts from Selina's boots. Bruce pulled up at the transition between buildings and turned down a slim corridor clogged with webs and dust. He looked back to Selina and pushed the keys for Ruskia's jeep into her hand. "Red Wrangler, black top." Selina nodded, blinking against the tickling of webs against her lashes.

Bruce unhooked a small latch and pushed open the door. The accumulation of snow forced him to heave against the door with his shoulder to even open it slightly. He pulled Selina past him and encouraged her through the small opening. She slipped easily through in spite of the bagging sweatshirt. Selina kicked the snow from behind the door, clearing the opening further for him to press through. She was grateful her boots rode so high on her thighs as the cold air drafted up the sweat shirt. She shook her head at her current state of undress. _Figures, the first decent sex of my life and I get busted like a high schooler._

Bruce shoved violently at the door and pulled himself through. Selina was already moving stealthily through the lot toward the vehicle. As Bruce trailed after, he felt the brace shift on his knee and his limp became more pronounced. "Fantastica," he muttered in his best Romanian accent.

Selina unlocked the door of the Jeep and stepped up into the seat. Bruce arrived in time to see the flash of bare skin from her thigh and the curve of her rear as she settled into the driver's seat and popped the brake. She looked over at him expectantly and he grinned like a fool. "Ms. Kyle, you have a beautiful ass." She shook her head and smiled.

The tires crunched on the deepening snow as Bruce strained to get the momentum going. Sliding several times on his freezing feet he finally managed to get the vehicle rolling down the sloping lot. Selina had already opened the passenger door and he ran alongside and pulled himself easily into the cramped cabin. She piloted the powerless vehicle down the slope careful not to press the brakes less the light flash and reveal their position. Bruce watched behind them as they made their quiet exit. He spoke as his eyes strained to detect any movement as they distanced themselves from the military forces. "That should be good Selina."

She responded immediately by firing up the jeep as it rolled and dropping the shifter into second. The jeep hitched slightly when she lifted off the pedal. "Sorry, clutch isn't as smooth as the Lamborghini." It was Bruce's turn to shake his head as he laughed.

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The scope of the rifle targeted center mass. At this range the round would enter her back, part the second and third ribs and fragment into her heart. A steady finger slid in the rough slide of the trigger guard. His breath held in anticipation of the pull.

_Beat._

_Beat._

He broke cheek to stock well contact expelling his wind. The radio crackled, " Jenkins report." He waited a second before he touched the button to his mic. "That's an NC, no contact on target. NC on target."

"10-4 Jenks, anyone that hit that water is a popsicle. Bring it in. There have been sightings on Cooper and Lexington of some unfriendlies."

"10-4 Tag." He collapsed the rifle sights and hooked the harness of his ammo bag over his shoulder as he watched the red Jeep rolling soundless down the hill. She deserved better than a bullet to the back. She had earned more respect than that.

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"Bruce, this is one of the worst hit areas. There isn't going to be anything left of your place." Selina looked through the frosted windows of the Jeep at the trash and debris clogging the ramp entrance to the parking structure. "They sacked this entire block. Hell, half this crap out here is probably from your penthouse."

Bruce gave her a patient look which seemed to alienate her immensely. "Trust me Selina. This is a safe house. No one but Fox, Alfred, and I even know it exists. The main elevator tops out at the forty-fourth floor."

Selina finally conceded, not because she believed Wayne (although he was riding a hot streak), but because she was seeing some troubling signs Bruce wasn't feeling his best. He was obviously in pain as he had been rubbing at his head and adjusting his knee in discomfort as she drove. "Alright Wayne, let's see if your rich guy paranoia paid off for you again."

"One man's paranoia is another man's preparation." Bruce reassured her. He glanced up at the building. It was fairly plain for the likes of Bruce Wayne. Truthfully it couldn't even be compared to the ultra posh Westside penthouse he lived in while rebuilding Wayne Manor, but it would definitely do in a pinch. Its most redeeming characteristic was that it housed no memories of him and Rachel. Bruce looked over at Selina protectively, he didn't want her competing with ghosts.

They had to climb through garbage and over wrecked out cars to make it back into their objective. It was a nondescript area in the back of the garage that at first glance would warrant no special attention. It was sheltered behind the electrical conduits and water pipes, but Bruce said this was the access point. Bruce's pace had slowed as his limp was worsening so Selina had a few moments to scan the area before he arrived. She let her eyes drift over the wall searching for any anomalies. Intentional randomness she often called the tech camouflage. "There you are." She pushed her finger into the insignificant break in the walls, allowing it to trail down the staggering groove until her finger touched a small unseen button. She flicked her eyes up to Wayne.

Bruce was leaning against the wall, his head tilted as he watched her smiling. _Damn, she did not disappoint._ "Good thing you weren't with the group that busted in here. You probably would have been sitting on my couch when I walked in."

"You mean after a hard day at work you wouldn't want to come home to me curled up on your couch?" Selina intended humor, but found Wayne's eyes serious and considering as he spoke.

"Actually that sounds pretty amazing."

"Oh, but don't you have a way with the ladies Mr. Wayne." Selina blew off his sentiment and flipped the switch. A small beam of light shot down from an unseen source. The light created a keyboard access panel on the wall. Above it was a three digit code prompt. "Three letters Bruce. Really? All this tech and you use a three digit code."

Bruce shrugged, "I like to keep things simple. I get confused easy." Selina smirked and made a move to give Bruce access. He raised his brows, "Safe cracker can't crack computer codes?" The challenge was obvious in his taunt.

She shrugged and made a production of popping and loosening her knuckles before she typed in "B A—" She hesitated for a moment and then gave him a thoughtful look over her shoulder before she backed the cursor and typed "F O X" then hit enter. The wall slid forward along the separation and they walked through together. He stopped and typed "L U C I U S" on the next light pad and the door sealed shut behind them. Selina was obviously proud of herself as she waited for Bruce to acknowledge her. He pretended to be oblivious to her prancing walk and flipping hair. _She already knew she was freaking amazing, she didn't need me feeding her ego._ Bruce finally gave her the appreciative glance she was angling for and he had to smile at her hoot of victory at his acknowledgement.

"So, you running off your own power grid here too Wayne?" Selina asked in jest but Bruce confirmed that he was, due to the blackout the diesel generators were already activated when they accessed the system. The elevator was waiting for them and Selina was not surprised to see only one button without a floor or location. When he pressed it no light came on and no doors shut, the floor simply lifted and the steel of the building zipped along the sides. Bruce watched her reaction. She flinched initially, but then remained stock still as they climbed higher.

Forty-five floors up at an accelerated climb, Alfred had taken one ride on "the lift" and told Wayne exactly where to put his ideas of him traveling on it again. Grousing about how Fox must have blown his decor budget on security and had to cheap out on the doors and walls. Selina, however, seemed intrigued by the inner workings of the building, a small smirk playing across her face. Bruce felt his heart tighten again when she looked at him and her lips flashed her thousand watt smile.

"Fox is my kinda man."

He cleared his throat of the clogging emotions. "Should I be jealous?"

She kept smiling. "Yes," she confirmed flatly, "I think I might just be in love."

Bruce smiled back and thought to himself. _I might just be too._

The lift slowed abruptly and stopped. A beam of light shone down on the door prompting a fifteen digit command code. Bruce grinned at Selina. She again made a big pretense of cracking her knuckles and this time followed it with a suggestion. "Get comfortable Wayne, we are gonna be here for a while." He slid his hand around her waist, pulling her slightly aside and used the other to punch in the code. BW678864#88 FG87. He glanced back at her as she mumbled, "Keep it simple."

As the poor rose up and took down the established order, they had failed to take down the fattest cat of them all. Selina realized this as her progress stalled at the door and she took in  the pristine penthouse of Bruce Wayne. It was seemingly the one untouched abode in all of Gotham, ironic that it would belong to the most famous of Gotham's wealthy and the one man that Bane had targeted personally in his attack. She looked over at Wayne with admiration. "Bruce, you are indeed a piece of work.

"You waiting to be carried over the threshold?" Bruce smiled at her, eyes daring her to comment.

She fixed him with a haughty look of condescension as she strode by, "You should be so lucky."

Bruce shut the door behind her and let out a deep sigh. He knew this wasn't over, not by a long shot. But at least now they could rest. He could recharge and take a minute to think without the pressures of the world intruding. He set the security code and turned wearily into the apartment. His eyes immediately found Selina who had already pulled off the furniture cover and was sitting on his sofa. She sat facing him with her arms spread across the back of the black leather cushions, her legs crossed over one another sexily.

She smiled sweetly before she spoke. "Honey, I'm so glad you're finally home. Did you have a rough day at the office?"

Bruce moved over to her with a slow deliberateness, returning her verbal volley. "Yes babe, I really did."

Selina patted the cushion next to her. "Tell me all about it."

Bruce sat down in the offered spot groaning as his grateful muscles relaxed. He slid his arms under Selina and pulled her across his lap, leaning her back against the soft pads of the arm rest as his lips covered hers. His slow thorough kiss warmed her cool lips as he explored her mouth with his, easy and gentle. She curled her fingers into his hair and kneaded the muscles of his neck and he moaned softly into her mouth. Selina smiled as he continued to deepen the kiss. She ran her other hand through his hair and she felt him tremble at her touch. "Poor Bruce," she whispered. He curled his head into her neck and allowed her hands to massage away some of the pain.

"Never pity a man that owns a plane Selina."

Her hands continued to trail along his scalp where she had seen him rubbing earlier and she felt him lean heavier into her touch. "How's your pain?"

Bruce hesitated, "It's pretty bad."

Selina was glad that he was honest because she already knew that it he was hurting. "What do you have here?"

He leaned further into her neck. "Aspirin. Aleve maybe." He heard her frustrated exhale and attempted to defuse her anger. "Anything stronger dulls my senses, makes me slow."

"That's kinda the point of pain killers big guy." She pressed a kiss against his forehead. "We need to get some food in you. Salt and sugar in your system. Some of the headache is probably because you are sugar crashing and dehydrated from the blood loss."

Bruce agreed but was loath to let her leave him. Her body next to him warming his skin and her hands worrying away the pain in his head. It was too good to let her escape. "Please don't," he asked her quietly. "Don't go."

Selina smiled sadly, ready to argue her way free for his own good. "Bruce..."

He found her mouth again with his. "Please." He whispered into her lips as he softly kissed her. _Simple, direct, and honest_. A man like Wayne was enough to make a woman like her cut and run. But she surprised herself and remained. She worked her hands through his hair pressing against the various points until he relaxed enough that exhaustion overtook him and he slipped into a pain-filled sleep.

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The smell of food roused him. He opened his eyes slowly nearly growling at the bright light that surrounded him. "Alfred? Close the bloody curtains."

The feminine laugh that followed his complaint had him pushing off the soft blanket that had found its way around him and sitting up on the couch. He was rewarded with the sight of a freshly showered Selina cooking in his kitchen. He was strangely pleased to see that it was one of his old shirts that she now wore. His Princeton long sleeve never looked so good. He felt a tug of possession that accompanied seeing her in it. _His shirt. His kitchen. His Selina. It all sounded pretty damn good._ She crossed over to him with the plate of food and he realized he was starving. "What kind of food was hanging around here?"

"Ramen." She handed him a respectable mound of noodles on a square white plate. _Never had such a simple meal looked so wonderful._

"First." She handed him several aspirin and a bottle of water. He took them gratefully and chased them down with several deep pulls off the water bottle. Satisfied, Selina returned to the kitchen and collected a plate of food for herself. Bruce watched her walk away as he wolfed down the first forks of the salty noodles. He glanced out the window realizing he must have slept the better part of the morning away.

She wandered around the penthouse carrying her plate as she chewed thoughtfully on a bite. "So when was the last time you were here?" She looked at the layer of dust on the fireplace mantle as she inquired.

Bruce shrugged and guessed "Nine years maybe."

Selina shook her head. _Nine years untouched in some of the most prime real estate in Gotham._ "Spectacular view of the city."

Gotham was simply the backdrop to Selina, but Bruce agreed the view never had looked as lovely as it did today.

The grey of the storm clouds were still heavy in the sky as the frozen flakes accumulated to blanket the city in the fresh powder. She considered her next move as she forked a small bite of food into her mouth. She still had to get to Gordon and get the computer records of the trade transactions. That was going to take a little finesse as she was now wary of the military's role in Gotham. She glanced around at the walls of the Penthouse. "Bruce, you have a TV?"

He stood and walked over to her. "You already bored with me?"

"Completely. Besides, I told you I have very strong feelings for Fox." She smiled at him apologetically.

Bruce took the plate from her hands and set it on the dusty mantel. "Give me a chance to make you forget about him."

Selina ran a finger down his chest. "Impossible."

Bruce tucked a damp curl of hair behind her ear. "I won't take second place, Selina. Not even to Lucius." Selina traced her fingertips over his stomach delighting in the rippling muscle under her touch. Bruce held himself still as she explored his chest with her hands. He felt his pulse quicken as he dropped a hand to her hip. He fondled the worn fabric of his shirt. "Besides, Fox went to MIT. If you wear his shirt you'll look like a nerd."

Selina smiled. "You are always looking out for me Wayne."

Bruce rested both of his palms on her narrow hips. "Always."

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	18. Chapter 18

Selina was able to fend off the advances of Wayne long enough to get him to finish off another plate of food and a substantial quantity of water. He had also humored her by accepting a packet of honey which he was worrying with as he sat on the bathroom counter. His right arm propped over his head to better expose his side for treatment. "Why am I doing this Selina?" He questioned her as if he was going to refuse her request, but was tearing open the plastic packet with his teeth before she even answered.

"Mostly you are doing it because I asked you to." Selina talked as she was peeling back the tape covering his knife wound. "But, if you want a physiological reason, you are doing it because your blood glucose levels are too low and the starch you ate in the noodles might not be enough to get them where they need to be. It can cause headache, dizziness, amnesia and fatigue." She eyed him critically. "Any of that sound familiar?"

He looked at her suspiciously. "How do you know all of that?"

"Because I am seven shades of awesome, Mr. Wayne, and you are just that damn lucky to know me." She gestured at the packet. "Humor me. It's not like I asked you to drink a shot of Drano."

He squeezed the packet into his mouth without further protest, laying his head against the cool mirror as he relaxed and let her work on his wounds. She had turned on the shower water to heat and the steam was starting to cloud through the room, beading on the tiles. She checked the edges of his skin near the stitch sites and was satisfied that there were no signs of redness or infection. The stitches were clean and holding well. She irrigated the area with peroxide and patiently waited for the bubbles to effervesce before drying the site and applying Neosporin ointment. She glanced over at the substantial cabinet of supplies, disappointed that they didn't have everything she needed.

"Looks pretty good right now, but I'm going to have to make a run for antibiotics. Can't afford to take chances after taking that dunk in the canal water." She considered where she could get them. The stores they had passed were looted clean. Best bet would be neighborhood dealers. With the state of Gotham as it was she wondered what was serving as street currency.

"Then we both need antibiotic, you fell in the same canal, remember? Try the cabinet in the hall. I think Fox pu—" He cut himself short when he noticed the absolute delight dancing in her eyes.

"Go ahead Bruce." She literally could not contain her smile. "Were you going to tell me that Fox, in all of his brilliance, stores them away from the moisture of the bathroom so they keep longer?"

Bruce rolled his eyes as she walked away. He noticed his shirt as it slid high on her thigh as she moved. He absently rubbed the spot on his chest where she had run her fingers earlier before shutting him down. "So Doc, when exactly am I supposed to start feeling better?"

"You already are." Came her muffled response.

He started to argue, but realized that while his head still ached it wasn't the debilitating pain from before and he seemed to be thinking more clearly. "Witchy woman," he muttered under his breath. His knee was the real pain generator now. He pulled the leg of the sweat pants over the brace so he could trouble shoot the malfunction. He found the lower connector had stripped out. "Guess Fox isn't so brilliant after all this-" He was set to defame his long time partner, but was interrupted by a pissed Selina.

"Liar."

Bruce blinked, taken aback by her sudden angry reappearance. "Pardon?" He questioned her warily.

"Aleve and aspirin. That's what you said you had Mr. Wayne." She shook a bottle and slammed it on the counter. "Percocet."

He furrowed his brow as he picked up the small bottle of pills. Twisting it in his fingers he saw no prescription information, just a date from nine months ago. "This shouldn't be here."

"Yeah? Well maybe somebody thought you might be needing them." Selina gave him a deprecating look as she dumped two pills of the oral antibiotic she discovered into her palm. "Doxycycline, antibiotic." She nudged his shoulder indicating him to take them.

Accepting them wordlessly Bruce tossed the pills in his mouth and chased them down with a gulp of water from a bottle that Selina handed him. He turned the plastic bottle over and read the manufacture date on the label. Less than two years old. He shook his head in admiration. _Fox._ Bruce had been laid up nursing his wounds for over eight years and Fox had kept things together. The business, he looked at the bottle in his hand, everything. He was overcome with the gratitude he felt for his friend. "Someone deserves a raise."

"Good," Selina commented dryly, "then he will be able to afford to keep me in the manner to which I have become accustomed."

Bruce looked at her with mock hurt in his eyes. "Selina, you are really giving me a complex over this Fox thing." He handed the bottle back to her and gestured to her to follow her own orders. She swallowed down an antibiotic under his observation.

She opened a waterproof bandage and placed it over his wound. "Wear this while you shower to keep it dry, but you should probably leave it uncovered after."

Bruce nodded in agreement. He had been through enough of these drills to know that she had nailed it exactly. _Seven shades of awesome indeed._ He dropped down his arm gingerly and caught her hand as she was cleaning up the counter. "Thanks," he said simply. "For everything." His hazel green eyes sincere as he met her gaze.

Her throat felt thick and dry as she swallowed. All she could see was Bane, that cage slamming down between them. "Don't thank me Bruce." Her voice was sharper then she intended. "Don't." She commanded again softer. "Besides, I wouldn't be standing here if not for you."

"And I wouldn't be sitting here, if not for you Selina." He pulled her closer into him. "And I am grateful, very grateful, to be sitting here, right now with you Selina." His words were measured and serious as he tried to make her understand. This was huge for him, that he could let her in like this, that he could feel this way.

She focused her eyes on his chest and tried to breathe. _Just say it Selina, just bite the bullet and own it. I am such a coward sometimes_.

Bruce felt the turmoil in her. He felt her ready to break away and circled her waist with his other hand, grounding her to him. "Whatever it is Selina, you can tell me." His words were brave, but his chest felt constricted in fear. His mind raced. _I don't know if I can bear the truth if it means hearing that this doesn't mean anything to her._ He freed his hand from hers and brought her beautiful face up to his, his eyes questioning.

Selina couldn't find her voice, but her mind replayed the phrase, you don't deserve him, over and over again so loudly that she thought he would surely hear for himself.

The pain in her eyes nearly broke him and he wrapped her into his arms. He felt her tremble against him and he dropped down from the counter pressing her against his chest. She wrapped her arms around his neck and he lifted her gently off her feet and walked them both into the steaming shower.

Bruce Wayne didn't let people in like this. He didn't feel like this, this was uncharted territory and yet he traversed it without hesitation.

He held her gently as the custom shower rained down steaming water from all angles. The water soaked through the fabric of their clothes and the steam billowed around them as he stood in the cleansing pulse of the water. Bruce slowly lowered her feet to the marble tiles, not surprised when she remained pressed against him. He gently worked his fingers through her hair, helping the water soak its way through the long dark strands.

When she finally lifted her face to him he smoothed back her dark hair and caressed her strong jaw. "After what I did, I don't deserve this. I don't deserve you Bruce."

 _There it was._ Bruce closed his eyes as he felt her carve out another piece of his heart. He slipped a strong hand behind her head and held her cheek solidly to the shelf of his chest. When he had collected his emotions he looked down into her eyes and told her the absolute truth. "I forgave you the moment it happened. Selina, you did what you had to do. I would never have forgiven myself if Bane or his men had harmed you."

"I can't forgive myself Bruce." Her voice was small and broken. "The punishment you took was because of me. I hate myself for that."

He understood her anguish, her anger. He felt it himself now at not being able to absolve her of the haunting pain that accompanied her guilt. Guilt at believing you failed to protect the one that meant most to you, he knew better than most the price one paid for guilt. Bruce understood now how Alfred must have felt, watching someone you loved needlessly torturing themselves powerless to stop them. He smiled softly and told her the pitiful truth. The truth of how great his need for her was. "Selina, I would willingly face it all again if it ends with you loving me."

His lips found hers before she could answer, his passion for her eclipsing all else as he felt her hands in his hair grasping his shoulders. The steam enveloped them and he was only vaguely aware of pulling them both free from the confines of their soaked clothing. Then his arms were full of her again, wet skin sliding against his as their lips fought to redeem one another.

He pressed her against a frosted wall of the shower and Selina felt the entire world shift around her. She would be a slave to this man if he had asked it of her. The independent, unfettered Selina Kyle now a vassal to the prince of Gotham, a willing concubine to the Dark Knight. She felt him hook her leg in his hand and pull her open for himself. He entered with a hard thrust. She clutched him in desperation as he drove into her repeatedly. "We belong together. " She recognized the simple truth in his words. She acknowledged it.

"Yes."

He pulled her away from him leveling his heated gaze directly into her eyes. "Tell me Selina."

She swallowed thickly and whispered out, "I'm yours Bruce."

He slowly penetrated her as they held each other's eyes. Pulling in, thrusting to the rhythm of the words he held himself back from driving harder. "I'm yours Selina. Do you understand that?"

She nodded soundlessly, grateful when his lips covered hers and she knew that she wouldn't have to give words to the feelings that were shredding through her. She gasped as Bruce continued to work against her, bringing her easily to a trembling climax. He lowered her down in front of him, intentionally placing her foot on the smooth marble bench that protruded from the wall. He kept her other leg pressed against his thigh until he felt her foot balance on the tile beside his. Then he continued his journey down, pulling out of her body as he made his decent.

Selina watched him with heated passion as he dropped down before her. His eyes never leaving hers as his hands slipped along her wet flesh. His dark hair was hanging against his face as he kissed her stomach and slid his hands over her hips. He found her with his hungry mouth, tasting her and driving her pleasure higher with every movement of his lips and tongue. He felt her hands in his hair, heard her voice calling his name and he felt more alive than he had ever been. The pounding hot water and the sweet taste and feel of this woman driving away all his doubts and fears.

As he stood, she was already wrapping her legs around him, pulling him into her body again. He turned and braced on the ledge, pulling her down, desperately burying into her hot flesh. Selina groaned at the depth to which he had invaded her body. Bruce was nearly lost as he felt himself pushing to the very core of her. He continued to drive into her as her passionate cries echoed off the shower walls. His eyes met hers and he pulled her against him fiercely, and for the first time since Rachel's death, Bruce Wayne realized he didn't fear the future.


	19. Chapter 19

His bare feet paced a now familiar trail across the wood floor as Bruce rubbed his neck in frustration. He glared out the window over Gotham. He caught his reflection in the glass and was disappointed not to see the Bat looking back at him. Hell, he wasn't even Bruce Wayne today. Wayne was dead, for now. He didn't know who he was. He looked again at himself, shirtless in his black silk pajama bottoms and took a sip of coffee. It wouldn't be him saving the city today. He exhaled a frustrated breath.

He shouldn't have let her go, at least not alone. He rolled his eyes at himself on that one. What was he even thinking? It wasn't like he had a choice in preventing her from going or in accompanying her for that matter.

When you have spent a lifetime being fodder for tabloids in a town like Gotham you already tended to have mobility opportunities. Add to his celebrity that people now believed he was dead and his options were nil. For another degree of difficulty, he had the challenge of preventing Selina Kyle from doing something she had set her mind on. Unless he was ready to put her in deep, maximum lockdown the outcome was inevitable, but still he had fought against it. Fought and failed miserably at it.

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Earlier

They had been here less than twenty-four hours when she started preparing him for her departure. His first thought was that she was going to clean slate it and skip out on him totally. Luckily despite his mood, he had the presence of mind not to vocalize that particular scenario, but she had read it on him all the same.

"Calm down, Wayne. I'll be back in no time." Her cool demeanor did nothing but fuel his dissatisfaction. He eventually went as far as to forbid her from leaving. Some quote containing references to his dead body and other such events that would need to take place before he would allow her to step a foot outside that door. He threw the military, Bane's men, the police, everything he could think of in front of her. She had laughed heartedly at them all and that, to Bruce, further proved that she wasn't taking their situation seriously.

She had tried to present rational arguments such as telling him about Gordon and the files. He immediately countered that Fox had the actual computer that had been utilized in the heist. She looked at him defiantly and ordered him to get Fox on the phone and have him bring it over.

He had stared blankly at her and exhaled a frustrated breath. "Selina, you know that I can't do that."

She countered with a simple, "I know. So why did you suggest it?"

Fox had put their contingency plan into works the moment the bomb detonated over the bay and Batman was anticipated dead. Bruce Wayne had to die as well. Bruce knew from the news coverage that Fox was expediting the declaration of his death in an attempt to shore up Wayne Enterprises with the substantial insurance paid in the event of his demise. Wayne enterprises, as well as Alfred Pennyworth were beneficiaries.

The Gotham Reporters had already covered the story of how Alfred Pennyworth, long time servant to Mr. Wayne, had offered to forfeit his inheritance on condition that it be distributed at CEO Lucius Fox's discretion. They stated that this last act of loyalty to his employer would served to stabilize the company while the trustees fought to have the SEC turn over the fraudulent trades. Proving fraud was tricky work due to the presence of Wayne's fingerprints on the transactions and would likely take months to be corrected. Until then, Wayne Enterprises balanced on the brink of bankruptcy and Bruce Wayne's death was all that was stabilizing it.

Selina had sat with him while the news played the video of Alfred and Lucius on the steps of Wayne Enterprises. _Alfred. He looked so lost, beaten._ Bruce nearly broke down himself pacing the room like a caged bear as his guilt turned into anger. Selina had watched him with guarded eyes as his emotions consumed him. He had stayed hooked together pretty well through this whole thing, but the sight of Alfred coupled with her insistence on going out in the city finally got the best of him and he snapped.

"What right do I have to do this to him? To all of them? What right did I have?!"

He looked at her when she spoke. "Plausible deniability." She said it with the same emotionless calm that she used on him today when she told him she was going to Gordon. It evoked the same reaction as well, it infuriated him.

Bruce swiped a hand through his hair. "How can you just sit there and say that knowing what they are going through? Seeing what I am going through now?!"

She looked at him with raised brows. "Would you prefer them to accept death benefits fraudulently and perjure themselves on your behalf? You want Fox and Alfred to be responsible for the Wayne Empire failing because of insurance fraud? Because if they knew for sure that you are alive, it would be them knowingly perpetrating a felony against your shareholders." She clued him in on this little tidbit just to let him know that she knew, that was exactly what he was guilty of now by allowing the ruse to continue. She stood up and faced him head on. "So, the only thing left of your father and you for that matter, gets flushed down the toilet. For what? To spare them the grief of your loss? Please. That is a load of crap Wayne. You are way too late for that. They felt your loss the second that bomb went off Bruce. Trust me, I know."

If Bruce had wanted emotion, she had given it to him. Armed with pure steely rage she wielded her words like a swordsman. She parried his blade like a master and as she walked past, she delivered the kill-shot, "Besides it's not the first time you hung poor Alfred out, letting him believe you were dead. Right? I mean it's his own damn fault for falling for it again. By now he ought to expect this shit from you."

She landed the strike with pinpoint precision. Bruce could do nothing but stand there as he felt her sharp words bury to the hilt. She stalked past and disappeared into the bedroom with no regard to the carnage she left in her wake. He dropped down on the sofa and sat there as the newscast finished. It repeated on a loop several times and he forced himself to watch Alfred and Lucius over and over again. His emotional purgatory was looking on as his friends suffered for his deeds with Selina's voice narrating the hellish scene in his mind.

He wiped his hand over his face and sighed deeply. He needed the will to be read, for the burial to happen. Blake had to go to the cave, the process had to be started. But not like this; he hadn't meant for these men to get caught up like this. _Best laid plans...Man, I am screwing this up. Now Selina. She is trying to do the right thing, she is really trying to help. Help Gotham. Trying to help Gordon. Shit. Gordon needed all the help he could get. Martial law had been declared in the city. Tanks and armed Hummers raced through the streets as citizens were given curfews enforced by armed soldiers. The strain on resources had people protesting and the government was reacting with a strong arm. It was almost worse than mob rule under Bane. Eighteen dead outside the courthouse just this morning, another twelve at Gotham general a few hours ago._

Bruce rubbed his temples. Normally a man of controlled emotions, he was aware of how far the events of the past months had pushed him that he would let his anger control him the way it did. He shut his eyes and could hear the chant in his head. _Deshi Basara, Deshi Basara, Deshi Basara, Deshi Basara_. He was in the pit again, he was trapped. Powerless to act to help his friends, unable to save Gotham. Bruce struggled to push back the emotions refusing to let them overwhelm him again.

He could make her understand, it wouldn't be a lie when he told her Gordon could handle this on his own. He was resilient and tenacious. He would never quit, but Gordon also knew when he needed support, if he was letting her help it was because he recognized he needed it. Bruce felt a pang of guilt, like he was throwing Gordon to the wolves to protect her. _So much for loyalty, sadly loyalty wasn't always a consideration in matters of the heart._ He closed his eyes and imagined her in the tunnel. She had told him how she had caught the rebar as she was being swept away by the water. It was her one last chance to prevent the fall into the certain death in the canal below. She heard them coming, thought they were there to save her. In his mind's eye, he could see the muzzle flash, as the Captain pulled the trigger of his side arm. _Jesus, the sight of her sliding under that ice_ —it haunted him.

Bruce stood abruptly and walked to the bedroom. He could make her understand. Then when all of this with Wayne Enterprises blew over he could get back out there and straighten this mess out. "Selina." He tapped gently at the door, not surprised when she didn't respond. He knocked again louder and called out to her. He felt cold air blowing against his feet. He looked down at the crack below the door and the muscles of his jaw worked as he ground his teeth. "She better not have." He tried the knob. Locked. He slammed twice against the door with his shoulder and the teak wood splintered and gave into his demand for entrance. Bruce stared at the open window, his face unreadable.

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Selina sat on the floor of her apartment as she slipped into her old leather suit with dissatisfaction. _Ugh, it was twice as thick as the other one but not nearly as warm._ She chucked her ruined boots into the corner having removed her necessities from all of the sewn in compartments. She pushed her feet into a pair of battered lug heeled combat boots. _I really look like a second stringer in this garb._ She scoffed at her appearance. "Whaddya gonna do?" she asked aloud to the room and shrugged.

Pulling a pre-packed boogie bag from under her bed she threw in additional jeans and shirts. Packing her hair brush and other personals on top of the bulging bag, she hesitated before going back into her bathroom. She stood looking at her reflection in the medicine cabinet still disapproving of the outfit, then jerked the cabinet forcefully off the wall. A small hole just big enough for her fist gaped in front of her. She reached in and pulled out the clean slate. She slid her hand in again and pulled out two Ziploc freezer bags packed with jewels. She then reached in...eleven more times.

_Money buys everything: friends, enemies, information, and secrecy. Hot rocks got you the same things, only they didn't adhere to current exchange rates and at times like these they were better than cash._

Selina waited outside the cash a check for her contact to arrive. She pulled the jacket tighter around her, flipping the faux leopard fur up against her throat. She reminded herself that sometimes there was no better disguise than the one that made you stand out. She damn sure didn't look like she was trying to hide from anybody in Holly's loud-ass leopard jacket. She frowned a little at the thought of her roommate. She had left her a note along with some money and a clean drop phone, but she wasn't holding out much hope of seeing her again.

She squinted into the sun, and checked her watch. 2:30pm. _Plenty of time before the 5:00pm curfew would make moving more through the city more difficult. It was kind of strange though, a thief like her working the streets in the middle of the day. Usually Gotham's criminal element preferred to work under the cloak of darkness._ She found she didn't miss the dark, she had enough of it playing in the shadows down there with Bane's boys. It felt pretty good to be working her mojo under the cover of daylight, operating in the Dark of Day.

"I think I know where to find your guys, some of 'em anyways." The voice came from the more than suspect Jimmy V. He was an ex leg-breaker for Falcone and still grade-A scumbag in his own right. He was mostly low level now that Falcone got retired to Arkham, but he was still connected. "What you got in return for me pretty lady." His leer was evident as was his insinuation.

 _Good to know that street currency never went out of popularity._ Selina held out her hand and he looked greedily at her body again pointing urgently to the alley. "In the back," he panted.

Selina snarled her lip and back-handed him across the cheek. "Not me! Filthy pig. The ring."

The ring had opened the small cut on his cheek and he was about to return the favor to this upstart bitch when he realized what was on her hand. The diamond went from knuckle to knuckle. "Jesus." He whispered. "What makes you think you can walk down the streets in Gotham and keep that crystal on your hand?"

"The iron in my other hand." Selina replied, cocking the weapon she cradled in the sleeve of the jacket. Her hidden hand pointed it directly at his chest. She sighed with the uselessness of this entire process. "Just tell me what I want to know, I have no time for this bullshit." He proceeded to give her locations on five of the ten most wanted from Blackgate. She almost laughed, he had originally said he only had three. She let him slip the ring off her finger. "Nice doing business with you. You burn me I'm gonna come back and pop you for real."

"Same to you." He said half heartedly. The diamond burned brightly as held it up to the bright light of day and as Selina turned the corner she saw it glisten in the sun and she smiled.

She ducked down the alley and made her way over to the first address. Hours later she was calling the GPD where she was placed on hold and forgotten three times before she called back as Gordon's wife. She had overheard at the Wayne party that they were estranged and that it wasn't by his choice. She figured his team would know that too and might hustle the call to him.

"Barbara." His voice was so excited and hopeful that she winced at the impact of the lie.

"Sorry darling, I had to tell a little white one to get you on the phone. You are a busy man Jim."

There was silence and then the sound of a door shutting. "Is this who I think it is?"

"It is." Selina could tell by his hesitation that the phone was tapped. "Fifteenth street and Lex, Commissioner Gordon, bring the computer disks and I will pick them up just as we agreed." Selina shut her eyes and hoped he was as good as Wayne made him out to be.

He hesitated. "Just like we agreed," and then the phone went dead. She smiled. Bingo. He cut it off before a trace could run and pick up her position. Just as they agreed was at his office at the MCU and it was paper printouts, not disks. _Good for him. What kind of stupid wife did he have that didn't appreciate that kind of quick thinking?_   She frowned, already prepared to pick his side in the domestic contest. She had one more quick stop to make before the MCU. She pondered on how she was going to get into the police facility as she fired up the Jeep. She would think of something, she always did.

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Bruce checked the time on the TV again. 8:49pm. Nearly four hours after curfew. "Dammit." The split screen on the enormous flat screen Vizio was showing video feed surveillance from the building along with the news from local Gotham provider. He turned up the volume as Gordon's familiar face appeared leading down two handcuffed men from a five-story brownstone in North Gotham. The men struggled against the arresting officers but were tossed into an armored transport despite their protests. Gordon took the opportunity to speak with the reporter. He shook hands with several of the building residents on his way to the interview.

"Commissioner Gordon, you and your men arrested four of Blackgate's most wanted today. How did this come to pass? The military has been going door to door searching for these fugitives to no avail."

Gordon nodded his head that he understood the concern. "Well the problem is the military are treating Gotham's citizens like they are to blame for the events in the city. Gotham was victimized by a select few and now our federal government is continuing the victimization of innocent citizens of Gotham, What you see here today is what is possible with a partnership between local police and the honest citizenship of Gotham. We have good people here, willing to do the right thing. We just need the military to stand down and give them the chance to do it." Gordon took several claps on the back and cheers from the crowd surrounding him drown out further questions. He dropped back and waved his men on to their next destination.

"He's really kinda hot. You know in a wind-blown, overworked, public-servant kinda way." Bruce nearly leapt out of his skin when Selina's voice sounded behind him. His head snapped around and she was just standing there nonchalantly watching the news with him. Acting as if she had just walked in from a trip to the store, she flopped her bag on the floor and then she pushed him over the edge with a question. "What's for dinner?"

Bruce's anger was palpable as he rounded the couch. But, to her credit, Selina stood her ground and never backed down. _Batman, billionaire; she didn't give a shit either way._ Bruce had to admire her nerve as she stood tall against him. "Selina, I am so very pissed at you that I don't have words to describe it."

"Good, don't describe it then." She moved to walk around him into the kitchen and Bruce blocked her path with his muscled arm.

Bruce knew that he had been out of line earlier, but so had she. Now she was trying to avoid him. At least he was willing to deal with the situation, try and work through things with her. "So you are gonna walk away from me, walk away from this?"

"What do you want me to do Bruce? Fight it out with you? Apologize for something I'm not the least bit sorry for doing? Ask for your forgiveness? Why? For what?" She tried to push past his arm, and Bruce reached up to stop her. He was dismayed when she swept out of his grasp flexing back into a defensive posture, balancing lightly on the balls of her feet. "Don't Bruce." Her tone held a warning.

He looked at her in disbelief, the hurt obviously showing in his eyes. He was angry, he was aware of that, but her defensive overreaction to him was out of character. Something happened to her out there today. "Selina." He stepped toward her and she again told him no, her eyes reflecting the gravity of her warning. He stood motionless as they looked at one another. Bruce assessed her: eyes wide, breath coming in controlled pulls. She was amped and ready to fight. He mentally corrected himself, she was ready to protect herself. _Everyone had war wounds, Selina Kyle was no exception._  His was voice calm as he tried to defuse this situation before it went any further.  "Selina, please don't do this."

She backed away from him and walked wordlessly into the kitchen. She fished out a cold bottle of water from the bottom crisper containers. Cracking the seal as she stood, she was not surprised to see Bruce standing silently behind her. Her hand shook slightly as she brought the water to her lips. Bruce didn't miss it. His voice was quiet as he held a hand out to her. "Come here to me." 

Selina closed the door behind her and took a few steps toward him. Their fingertips touched as she accepted his outstretched hand. "You really that mad at me?" She asked her voice barely above a whisper.

Bruce leaned against the island in the kitchen as his fingertips locked with hers. "Livid." Bruce confirmed in the same quiet tone. Selina's lip twitched slightly at his humor. Bruce stared at her impassively. She chewed her lip and forced her eyes up to met his, grateful when she saw more compassion than anger reflected in his dark eyes. He finally pulled her to his chest and wrapped her into an embrace. "You want to tell me about what happened?"

"You wanna make me dinner?"

Bruce inhaled deeply and blew out an exasperated breath at her comment. "Where is a canal when you need one?"

Selina snorted a small laugh, tightening her arms around him. "Sorry Bruce."

Bruce frowned into her hair as his arms secured her against his chest "I thought you didn't have anything to apologize for."

"I don't." She looked up at him with her soft brown eyes. "But, I'm sorry I upset you, I don't want you to be angry with me."

He rubbed her jaw with his knuckle, keeping his same easy tone. "I'm not angry with you Selina, I am bloody furious."

She smiled at his words, hearing no such fury in his voice. The sounds of the TV drew their attention as the footage of Gordon was shown again as the reporter narrated through the days' events. Selina's smile tightened. "Well Bruce, you were one of many men I pissed off today."


	20. Chapter 20

Selina and Bruce stood together watching the newscast as the network flashed the photos and identities of the captured men across the screen. So far three convicted murders and a serial rapist off the street and Gordon was the hero of Gotham again.

She smiled, not too bad a result for her investment. _That had been one hell of a ring though. Freaking thing was so huge that it had been impossible to fence unless I cut it down and I damn sure wasn't going to do that. That idiot bastard V had probably already hacked it into a dozen pieces by now._ Her face flamed at the idea that someone would break down a momentous stone like that, it was just sickening. She lamented the loss of her prize: it had been the ultimate payoff for the extensive research and preparation that she put in for the score. But, the information it bought today had been worth giving it up.

 _Those scum bags needed to be back in Blackgate. Not only for their past crimes, but for all the violence and depravity they had wrought upon Gotham since Bane freed them. They had been on a crime rampage since taking their first breath of free air. Rapes, assaults, murders. Several others in their crew had been killed as citizens tried to protect themselves and their families from the escalating violence_. Her own experience today had shown her exactly how dangerous they could be.

Gordon was shown in a split screen as he pushed the men into the armored transport. His face a mask of controlled authority a stark contrast to the insanity of the criminals he had apprehended. "I'm assuming you get the assist on those arrests?" Bruce asked quietly.

Selina gave him a strained look before her eyes dropped to the water bottle in her hand, "You have anything stronger than this Wayne?"

His brows furrowed slightly as he tried to read through her expression, "I imagine Fox has something squirreled away here for a rainy day." He hesitated, waiting for her to needle him about her affection for his CEO. She kept her eyes downcast, absently flicking the label of the bottle with a ragged nail. He stilled her hand with a light touch, "I'll see what I can find."

She nodded turning away from him and started down the hall. Bruce called out to her as he bent down and picked up her bag, "Selina." When she turned back to him he was struck by the pained expression on her face. He held out the black nylon bag to her and she walked back and took it with a soft word of thanks. He held on to strap for a moment longer. "You okay, Ms. Kyle?"

She smiled wanly, "I'm always okay, Mr. Wayne."

Bruce brought his hand to her face and caressed her cheek with a soft brush of his fingertips. She smiled softly at him and leaned her face into the palm of his hand. He fished for an explanation, "You get what you needed from Gordon?" She nodded and cut her eyes at the TV before she hooked the bag over her shoulder and turned away. Bruce watched her slip quietly down the hall into the bedroom. _Ms. Kyle…stop hiding from me..._

Bruce walked over to the mahogany bar and slipped behind the nook wall. Despite the fact he didn't drink, Fox had the bar trimmed out with every mixer and beverage combination imaginable. _I should have asked her to narrow down her preference._ He selected a bottle of Grey Goose and a can of cranberry to mix in a glass tumbler. He cracked open the mini freezer, but wasn't thrilled with the burnt smell of the contents. Bruce went back into the kitchen and got some fresh ice. He knew it would be fresh because he had used the old stock earlier to bring down the swelling in his knee. Thanks to the ice and the repair he made to the brace he was no longer limping. He glanced over at the organ donor for the repair, a broken down bar stool was piled in the corner stripped of its screws.

Bruce combined the juice and clear liquor into a low ball tumbler and started down the hall as he heard the news update. The field reporter was interrupted by an announcement from the studio that another apprehension had been made by the Gotham police department. The news anchor stated with misdirected excitement that there were also unconfirmed reports that two victims had also been discovered at the scene. Details were sketchy as the arrests appeared to have had been made several hours prior.

Bruce inhaled deeply as he processed the information. Gotham PD wasn't allowing the media access to the scene as they had done previously. The news center had no video feed of the event. They instead posted a stock photo of the fugitive and confirmed his identity as Ethan Jassop. Bruce glanced down the hall toward Selina when the trial sketch of the ten-year-old victim Jassop had been convicted of raping flashed on the screen. His eyes hardened as he listened to the reporters recount the brutality suffered by the young girl. They speculated on the reports of a female child and a deceased adult, possibly the suspect that were discovered at the location. Bruce rubbed a hand across his brow. _Shit. What had she gotten into?_

He walked quietly down the hall seeking her out. Glancing in the dark bedroom he found it empty so he continued on to the bathroom where he could hear water running. He pushed open the door and saw her boots and clothes piled half-hazard on the floor. Through the frosted panes of the shower he could she her blurred form sitting on the landing beside the tub. She was wrapped in one of his burgundy towels. She sat curled into herself on the ledge with her arms wrapped around her knees, head hung down as she watched the water fill the basin. Bruce closed the distance between them and held the drink out to her. "Cranberry vodka"

She kept her face down. "That sounds amazing. I'll take it." He sat down beside her, facing the opposite way into the room allowing his arm to lightly touch hers. She took a long swallow from the glass. "You mix a mean Cape Cod, Wayne."

"Well, you will have to try my Mojito someday." Bruce rubbed his hands together and debated how to proceed.

She swirled the liquid in her glass and glanced at him from under a wave of her hair, "Hear about the girl?" Her question was simple and direct.

Bruce, nodded. "No specifics. Reports say there were two victims."

Selina nodded knowingly and took another long swallow of the liquor as unshed tears glistened in her eyes. She went to set the glass on the ledge between them and Bruce intercepted it, allowing his fingers to rest over hers. She lifted her eyes to his and found them overflowing with compassionate concern that filled her anguished heart.

He gazed down at her for a long moment then he broke one of his rules and took a sip of the drink himself as he turned off the streaming water, "What happened, Selina?"

She shut her eyes against the images in her mind. "It was bad, Bruce. She couldn't have been six years old." Selina shook her head like she was trying to clear the images out of her mind.

Bruce tucked the hair that shielded her face behind her ear. He then traced her brow line with his finger, down her cheek and to her jaw. He tilted her unguarded face up to him and placed a soft kiss on her lips.

Selina had never been around someone like Bruce before. Men had come and gone throughout her life; it seemed that either they were using her or she them. Nothing had ever mattered beyond the current moment in time, until Bruce. When he looked at her, she could see forever in his eyes.

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Earlier in the day

Gordon and his men were en route to the fifth location of the day. This little scavenger hunt was proving fruitful in many different aspects. If only for the sheer fact that he was bringing in some of the worst scum bags in Gotham's history it would have been worth it. But, there was the added benefit of the media blitz that he was able to layout on the newly reconnected city.

His team had been monitoring the responses to the media spots and it was overwhelmingly positive in support for the removal of military martial law and return of control to local government. City council members had convened that afternoon along with the city manager and all were supporting Gordon as interim crisis manager and retaining his position as police Commissioner. Gordon's support wasn't just local. There was a nationwide media crush supporting Gotham, and today as the criminals were brought to justice. Gordon was Gotham.

The Major Crime Unit rolled quietly behind the split level duplex that a note had revealed as their next destination. Gordon glanced down at scrap of paper and the looping letters from a woman's hand. Heritage Park and 9th. Apt 4B. _Jassob_. Gordon felt the bile in his throat at the thought of that piece of trash.

The teams assembled beside the transport truck as Gordon dropped down to the cold ground and moved in position to address the team. Full swat gear on the entry team and flack jackets covered the detective team. They had done him proud today and he had no intention of losing anyone apprehending this sex offender. "Alright team. Stay on your toes. Don't assume that this one will be wrapped up as nicely as the others." The only responses were the racking of rounds into weapons. Gordon glanced grimly around them, "Let's go."

The battering ram obliterated the door of the duplex. The cheap wood construction shattered under the heavy load of the ram nearly tumbling the officer that wielded it into the room. The assault team covered him as they poured into the cramped residence. The overwhelming disarray of the domicile camouflaged the evidence of the struggle that had taken place before their arrival. They cleared the front room and found their fugitive unresponsive and drenched in blood on the kitchen floor. "Brooks, check for a pulse," Gordon ordered and under his breath he muttered, "Hopefully he won't have one."

"Commissioner!" The call was muffled by the assault mask, but he recognized it as Baker. Gordon quickly followed the sound into a darkened hall where he saw the young officer dropped on one knee pointing his rifle into a room. Gordon cleared the corner with his weapon ready.

She stood with her back to them; the diffused light from the graying sky illuminated the goggles that sat atop her head. Her hair hung long down her back and Gordon could just make out the small arms that clutched tight around her neck. "Stand down." Gordon ordered the officer. His heart hammered in his chest as the relief in seeing her overwhelmed him.

Selina lifted her chin over her shoulder and looked back at Gordon, grateful that he was finally there. "Good to see you again, Jim."

"Get the medics and keep everyone else out of here. Radio silence on the bust. No media and no military." He holstered his weapon and grabbed the SWAT officer by his shoulder harness, pulling him bodily out of the room as he spoke, "I mean no military. Engage them if you have to, but keep them the hell out!"

"Sir?" The officer looked at him in disbelief.

One of the detectives from the MCU had arrived behind them,"10-4 Jim. We got this."

Selina noticed the scar and recognized the man from the night of the blast, "You just keep bailing me out, don't ya handsome?"

The man smiled in spite of the circumstances, "Detective Stephens ma'am. Gerard Stephens." Gordon gestured for the men to clear the room. Stephens chanced another long look at the Catwoman before he departed.

Selina cradled the girl close against her as she made a mental note to ask Gordon about the events surrounding the scar on the detective's neck.

Gordon shut the door and Selina turned to face him revealing the small bundle in her arms wrapped in the leopard printed jacket.

They stood and looked at one another, neither needing to speak to the gravity of the situation. Selina leaned down to the child's ear. "Meghan, do you remember the police officer I told you about?"

"Mr. Gordon?" she asked; her voice was only a whisper.

Her voice was so soft Gordon could barely hear her, but he would never forget her words or the courage she showed.

Selina smiled and purred out a 'yes'. She shifted her gently and the girl's arms tightened reflexively around her neck. Selina inhaled a deep breath and held her tighter. Still speaking with the subtle timbre of her voice that mixed both strength and tenderness, "Do you remember what else I told you?"

"Yes," came her immediate response.

Selina glanced up at Gordon. His face a mask of the same pain she felt, but she found what she needed in his eyes—strength, compassion, and reassurance. _Wayne can damn sure pick them._ "What did I say, Meghan?" Selina coaxed her small charge to speak.

"That he would help me. Take care of me and keep me safe."

Selina continued to look at Gordon holding his gaze.

He acknowledged his commitment to both of them that he would indeed live up to those obligations, "Meghan, I will take care of you. No one will hurt you again."

Selina nodded her head in acceptance of that commitment. The child shifted her position and peeked at Gordon, "Is it true?" Her question came in a breathy whisper.

Selina smiled softly, already aware of what the child wanted to know. "You should ask him." She encouraged her to reach out to Gordon, she needed Meghan to trust him enough to let him help her.

Meghan dropped her head back against Selina and pulled a handful of Selina's brown hair over her own face shielding herself from Gordon, "Are you really friends with Batman?"

Gordon couldn't stop the tear that escaped his eye at that innocent question. He swallowed and whispered out, "Yes. Yes, he was my friend."

Meghan lifted her head and met Selina's eye. Selina smiled, her teeth flashing brightly, "See. I told you."

"Is Mr. Gordon _your_ friend?" She asked timidly as she reached her hands up to touch the goggles resting atop Selina's head.

Selina looked over the small girl's shoulder at the man in question. Gordon nodded his head in affirmation and Selina saw the truth of that in his clear blue eyes. She brushed her nose against Meghan's, "Yes he is."

The small girl released her grip on the infrared glasses and pushed off Selina's chest to better see Gordon. "We are going to the hospital." She stated this to Gordon as an order and he had to choke back a strangled laugh as he heard the woman's words emanating from the child's mouth.

"Yes ma'am," he confirmed her plans.

She pointed at him, "You are staying with me."

Gordon again accepted the directive from the small child, "Yes ma'am, I am."

Selina crossed the distance between them and Meghan pulled the jacket tighter around herself as Selina handed her to Gordon.

He could see the blood drying in her tangled blond hair and his stomach twisted. When the jacket slipped on her shoulders, he realized she was nude underneath. The magnitude of this disaster came home to him, for as he looked down at her he could only see the face of his daughter in hers. He hugged her securely to his chest as Selina tucked the faux leopard fur around her face. She dropped her head down and again rubbed her nose against Meghan's whispering, "Be strong."

Selina turned and walked toward the window and Gordon stopped her. "You can't go out there. The military has been trailing us all day. They tapped the communications at the PD. They are looking for you...you specifically."

Selina twisted a smile and shrugged, "I figured from our conversation that they were, but I couldn't bring myself to leave her." Selina shrugged, "What are my options Commissioner?"

A knock at the door interrupted him. Stephen's voice came from the other side, "Boss, the fire department is here."

Gordon's eyes flashed between Selina and the door and it was clear an idea had occurred to him, "Leave it to me."

Twenty minutes later Gordon emerged from the building with the child still in his arms; the jacket hood covered her head and face, just in case the media had slipped through the police line. He ensured the leopard printed jacket covered the rest of her small body as he held her tightly against his chest. He looked on as the fire department brought down the gurney with the cadaver strapped securely for transport. They placed it in the back of the ambulance, and only then did Gordon enter. He stepped in with Meghan and sat down, "Gotham General."

He saw before the doors closed the PD officers standing down as the military team began to maneuver through the area. Once the ambulance had cleared the neighborhood he released the straps on the gurney and unzipped the body bag. His new 'friend' was smiling brightly up at him, "Nice moves Jimbo."

Gordon nodded, not feeling a bit guilty about Jassob still laying broken and battered on the floor of the duplex. He could catch a ride on the transport to the Blackgate infirmary.

The ambulance driver nearly wrecked the vehicle when the corpse started talking and he was more than happy to pull to the side of the street when Selina told him to do so. She slipped past Gordon into the front passenger's seat, directing the driver where she wanted him. As the vehicle stopped Selina smiled tenderly at the little girl, "Meghan—"

The little girl's voice interrupted her, "I'll be strong."

Selina felt her throat closing as tears threatened her eyes, "Meghan you are strong. Never forget it." She turned quickly and pushed out the door.

As they were pulling away, Gordon and Meghan watched her walking away from the back windows of the ambulance doors. The setting sun glinted off her glasses as she jumped up and pulled herself over a brick fence. The ambulance driver had watched her slinky walk himself from the side view mirror and he finally spoke up, "Who the heck was she?"

Gordon shrugged, "Hard to say."

Meghan tugged at his tie and whispered, "She looks like a kitty cat."

Gordon smiled, "She does, doesn't she?"

Meghan leaned against him, "Now you are friends with a _Bat_ man and a _Cat_ woman."

"Catwoman" Gordon shook his head. _Why the hell not?_

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After the emotional battle to tell him the details of the last arrest Bruce had left her to her bath and returned to the kitchen to start dinner for them. He had watched the news long enough to hear that the girl was in stable condition. Meghan McClure was from Deep Elum, a poor neighbor hood in east Gotham. Her mother had been found strangled to death three days ago. Without police forces to follow-up on crimes, her body had been left to rot in the alley until just yesterday. The insanity of what had happened to Gotham was almost too much to digest. He flicked off the set in disgust and returned to the task at hand.

_The good people went bad and the bad got worse. Is Gotham even worth the sacrifices I have made to it? That Blake is going to make? Selina, what about her? She went out there and faced down those monsters today. What if Gotham took her from me? What then?_

He nearly startled as Selina walked quietly into the room. He noticed the side glance she gave the TV as she entered and saw her visibly relax when she realized that it was off. "Soup?" He raised his eyebrows awaiting her response.

"Alcohol," She retorted as she rattled her ice cubes against the empty glass.

Bruce clucked his tongue at her response and continued on with his meager dinner preparations. He dumped the contents of the two soup cans into a pot and turned on the eye to simmer the contents. Selina wandered over to the monstrous window overlooking Gotham and absorbed herself in the view. The city lights were twinkling tonight as the power had been restored to much of the city. Streets were still devoid of cars which gave the normally bustling city an alien, empty feeling.

Bruce walked up behind her, admiring her again with the city as her back drop. She was wearing another of his shirts; this time she had helped herself to his lacrosse jersey. The Princeton Tigers away jersey, base white with orange trim around the black lettering. The back of his jersey had his number 12 embossed upon it and he regretted momentarily that he hadn't played football, he would have liked to see his last name lettered across her. _Oh you have it bad for her Bruce…real bad._

He slipped the empty glass from her hand. Selina had been so focused on the view that he had surprised her and she glared at him now in mock anger. Bruce leaned in and kissed her lips, marveling at the electric spark that shot through him when he touched her, "You are the most beautiful infuriating woman I have ever met, Ms. Kyle. He looked at her with admiration and open desire in his eyes.

Selina pretended to think about a compliment, "And you... are the sweetest talking billionaire vigilante in Gotham."

The tease was obvious in her voice and Bruce was happy to continue the light banter, "You are going to have to do better than that."

Selina squinted her eyes and pretended to assess him further, "You are the hottest, dead superhero I have ever had drinks with." She ran a hand over his bare chest and tried to kiss his lips.

Bruce held his face away from her, shaking his head in mock disappointment, "Nope. Not good enough. I demand sincerity."

Selina met his eyes and offered him sincerity, "You are such a good man that you make me want to be a better woman."

Bruce looked at her for a long moment, "Selina, you are killing me." He kissed her; breaking away from her reluctantly, he shook his head and hesitated above her lips like he was waging some internal battle, "Just... killing me." He kissed her again more deeply as he pulled her into his chest with his free hand. He felt the tension releasing from her as she leaned against him.

She felt the protective strength in his touch and was amazed at the effect he had on her. The way he could make her feel hope even in the face of the atrocities of a day like today was nothing short of astounding. When he finally broke away from her lips he backed warily away, "Best we stop that before things go too far." He retreated to the bar to make her another drink. Selina looked after him for a long moment then turned back to the city.

Laying her burning palms against the cool glass she looked over Gotham. The city was home to her, she had adapted to its cruelty, learned to survive in the violence that permeated it. She knew the city better than anyone had a right to. But, it seemed different now. _Batman had made Gotham different. Made me different. Now Bruce... Bruce Wayne had changed absolutely everything._

He walked in the room and saw her standing there, overlooking Gotham. Her face reflecting the sparkling skyline of his city and she looked lost. He set the drink on the mantel of the fireplace and hoped she would forgive him of his weakness that demanded he go to her.

Her breath caught at the sight of him. He approached her silently and their eyes met in the reflection of the glass. His chest bare and battle-scarred, now painted in the colors of the city he fought so valiantly to save. She felt his hard body press against her shoulder blades and his strong arm slide around her waist as the other drifted up her thigh and settled between her legs.

He felt her stomach contract as his hand slipped into the folds of her skin. Bruce felt his passion for her eclipsing everything else as his hands moved over her body. _No panties._ He felt himself harden at the discovery. _Please let that mean she won't think me a heartless bastard for wanting her, wanting her despite everything that she has been through today. Please..._

Bruce opened his eyes and looked at her again. She was watching him intently and when their eyes met she understood his unspoken question. "I need you Bruce." She hated the words when they tumbled from her lips. Hated them because they were the truth of what he had changed in her.

Bruce pressed himself against her and lost himself in the moment. A life filled with pain and sacrifice. There had to be more to life than waiting for the next tragedy, the next loss. The paralysis of that thinking had robbed him of experiences like this, experiences that made the tragedy in life bearable. The payoff for persevering through adversity was this— experiencing life. What a fool he had been. He watched her lips part and heard her soft moan as she pushed against him. The beauty of the moment left him breathless and weak. He pressed against her harder and felt again her deceptive strength. She shored his balance against herself as his hand worked against her, stroking her toward her release. Bruce slid his other hand up her flat stomach to caresses her breast. He felt her body tighten around his fingers and he squeezed slightly harder against the mound of soft flesh and was rewarded with her clenching orgasm against his hand.

He filed away the knowledge he gained about her responses, his analytical mind was a sponge for the details of what she enjoyed. He would happily be an encyclopedia of knowledge on how to pleasure her if he had his way. She would need only give him the opportunity to research and apply his findings. Bruce watched her in the glass as she came through the fog of passion and pleasure. Her smoky eyes haunted him as she met his gaze. "I need you too, Ms. Kyle."

Selina turned to him, leaning against the smooth glass as her hands ran up his arms and across his shoulders. It was crazy to want someone this much. Need that made your stomach clench and your heart ache for their touch. But here she was, an aching raw mess over…Bruce Wayne. The worst part was he knew how powerless he made her, she hadn't even the sense to cover that weakness.

Bruce pressed up against her, loving the fit of her body against his. He felt her lips against his throat and then her hard teeth nipping at his tender flesh. He grunted in appreciation and frustration at her actions. He felt her tongue teasing at his ear and then he was scooping her into his arms and walking them to the kitchen. He sat her on the counter and flicked off the oven eye. He spread her legs gently and settled himself against her.

Selina wrapped her legs around his hips and buried her face in his neck. She just let it go. Let it just be the two of them. _No Gotham, no Gordon, no Batman. Just Bruce and Selina and their growing passion and acceptance of each other._

He pulled her against him and rubbed his hands down the slender run of her back. He shut his eyes and as he felt her delicate body beneath his fingertips. She was an enigma; an amalgamation of grace and power, delicacy and strength. _God help me she was intoxicating and infuriating._ Her hands burned trails along his sides as she traced his various scars. His eyes drank in the sight of her; the lacrosse jersey was suddenly a nuisance to him. "Selina, as much as I enjoy seeing you in my clothes, and I do, I'm going to need to take that off you now."

Selina blinked her eyes seductively at him, "But Bruce, this is my favorite."

He worked his jaw as she played with the hem of the fabric, "Yeah, it's my favorite now too." He helped her lift the fabric and bunched it at her waist. His hungry eyes feeding both their passion as his hand found her again. He pressed and swirled his fingers against her until she was clawing against his flesh and arching against his chest. He smiled at her response. Wayne, you are a lucky... lucky man. "Forgive me, Ms. Kyle." He began to remove the jersey.

She smiled again and playfully swatted his hands away, "No way, Wayne. The jersey stays."

He gave her a pitying look and said, "Have it your way, Selina." Leaving the sleeves around her arms he pulled the front of the jersey over her head and dropped the fabric behind her neck. He grinned at the memory of him and his teammates doing the very same at the end of practices as they ran cool down laps. The effect this particular maneuver had on him now was dramatically different. His eyes were scorching as he looked down at her, "I have to have you Selina." His voice was full of passion and need, but he waited for her nod of acceptance. Bruce pushed down the front of his black silk pajama bottoms and pulled Selina in closer to him. Her eyes were clouded with passion and anticipation as she waited for him to enter her.

Bruce looked at her in wonder as he pushed into her body. She arched against him, kissing his cheek and then laid back on the counter as she gave herself over to him. Bruce guarded her with protective eyes as he pressed his body into hers. He ran his hands over her ribs again, reminding himself that he was in fact the luckiest bloke in Gotham. Things could have so easily gone the other way. Then he heard her words in his mind, 'Don't dig graves for the living,' and he remembered his job was to live in the now, exist for the future.

They both needed to make up for the time they forfeited to loneliness and regret. He collected her against his chest and kissed her deeply as he ensured they both felt the world move. This time, just for them.


	21. Chapter 21

The next few days were a grind as Selina and Bruce worked together on deciphering the bank codes on the money transfers. In addition to struggling with complicated number puzzles, the details were released that Bruce Wayne was to be laid to rest in a private ceremony at Wayne Manor.

Selina had done her best to keep her distance from Bruce on the day of the funeral, as he paced around the confines of the penthouse. She had traveled the area extensively herself trying to find solitude away from his endless movement. She finally took refuge in the kitchen, happy that there was only one stool now so she was guaranteed not to have the pleasure of his company. He dropped on a chair at the kitchen table instead. She narrowly controlled the eye roll that wanted to manifest itself and instead gave into defeat and laid down the papers. She stretched her arms and swiveled her waist to limber her spine. She was dressed comfortably in her black yoga pants and her stolen Gotham Rogues sweat shirt. She thought vaguely of doing some yoga to relax but the thought of him allowing her any peace to do that was laughable. She found her eyes drawn again to the wall in the hall. Something was bothering her about that wall. She had got up the night before to get a drink of water and she noticed it then. Now today, as Wayne ran her from room to room she kept twirling it over in her head.

As you walked the penthouse there seemed to be part of the floor plan that was just...missing. _That wall shouldn't be there._ She walked into the hall looking closer at the construction. She glanced back at Wayne and was relieved that he had finally quieted down and was watching noon news. _Probably looking for footage of his funeral to torture himself with..._ She returned to her mystery, knocking gently on the sheet rock, her head tilting first one way then the next trying to catch the echo. She did this several times and found them all the same. _Solid. Why would someone build an entire interior wall solid? Correction, why would Batman want a solid interior wall? Answer—because he had batstuff he wanted to hide._

She glanced again over her shoulder ensuring that Bruce was still glued to the television. She stepped back and let her eyes relax; they drifted down to the bookcase. _Spring latch? Nah, too easy. What would give the Bat a feeling of security? Security like the pen light projectors outside..._ She searched the wall facing her objective. High on the right side, just perceivable on the wall she saw the fiber-optic emitter. She still had to find the trigger, but just knowing there was something hiding had been the real trick. Her lips curled in victory.

Light clapping from behind her made her have to cover a wince and an eye roll as she turned to face him.

Bruce had known she suspected something as he had noticed her looking at the area several times throughout the day. When she ventured down the hall he knew it was all over. He nearly laughed aloud, she was truly a master at her craft. Her instincts and ability were an amazing combination. When he watched her move down the hall he was struck by the grace and balance she possessed. _No wonder they were calling her Catwoman. Well that and her goggles do look like little ears when she has them flipped up on her head. Man, she had been pissed at me when I told her that._ He nearly chuckled again at the memory. He had continued to needle her and suggest that she be grateful they went with the name Catwoman instead of just her vocation of Catburglar.

Selina had calmed down about it later when the interview with Gordon was televised and she heard that it was Meghan that had given her the name. Gordon further glorified Catwoman as not only the person that rescued Meghan, but was also responsible for working with the Batman to bring down Bane and save Gotham. He also made it a point to let Gotham know that the person responsible for these selfless acts was currently being hunted by the military. He stated in what Selina took as a message directed to her specifically, that the soldiers were operating on orders to shoot her on sight.

Gordon's statement had an immediate media backlash that whipped the city into a frenzy of demonstrations against the military occupation. That night citizens in Gotham violated curfews and ran the streets in protest. Bruce had been mystified at Selina's reaction to the events as she thought the entire thing was hilarious. She had in fact been reduced to hysterical laugher when they announced that several women were apprehended in Gotham wearing black leather outfits and cat ears.

Now here Bruce was with the original Catwoman burglarizing his residence...again. She shot him a snaky look as she went to pass him in the hall. "You want to see it?" He offered bluntly.

She paused beside him and pressed up against his side. "Honey, if I want to see it I will show it to myself." Then she was gone, soundless in her bare feet.

Bruce ground his jaw and nodded his head. "Have it your way."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

They had avoided one another for the rest of the day and Bruce finally went to bed. When she went to brush her teeth she noticed a pill bottle out on the counter and realized his head was probably hurting him. She retreated out of the room and left him in peace. As she was padding quietly down the hall she got a funny feeling. She searched it out for a few moments and then a bright smile bloomed across her face. She glanced at the hall and smirked. He was setting her up, he wanted her to go for it.

 _Well two can play that game Wayne. You are soo out matched it isn't even funny_. She flipped the damper open on the fireplace and turned the gas starter on, a few seconds later a bright flame enveloped the dry firewood and soft crackling filled the large main room. She pulled off the baggy sweat shirt and flexed her bare arms adjusting the sports bra she wore underneath. The yoga pants sat low on her slim hips as she smiled into the flame. She hoped he wouldn't take too long to make his appearance; the more time he allotted her correlated directly to his level of confidence in her ability to crack into that room. She hoped she wouldn't be insulted.

She dropped into sun salutation routine and tried to concentrate on her form. Three courses through and no Bruce. _Bastard had no faith in me, or too much faith in his security._ She leaned into warrior one pose and breathed through her irritation. She dropped down into a plank and held her form still and true. She inverted her hands and lifted both of her legs off the floor into an arm stand peacock pose. She felt her ribs straining under the demand as her core worked to support her body. She battled through it and pulled her knees to her chest in crane pose, still supporting her body with only her arms.

Maybe she had read him wrong; he might really have been feeling like crap, it would explain some of his restlessness. Selina positioned her forearms against the floor and flexed her legs over her head into an inversion stand. This was a cop out on what she normally did but she could feel the weakness in her abdominals and didn't think it wise to push further. She focused on her breathing as her weight balanced on her forearms and her head hung lax with her nose pointing to the floor. She felt the stress and strain draining out of her body.

She heard the smallest of creaks on the wood floor. She continued to maintain the pose as she controlled her mind and body and lowered her foot to the ground in front of her in the most advanced pose she was willing to attempt. When you had an audience you had to grab the gusto. One legged inverted staff. One foot remained pointed as her other leg bent until her foot touched the ground in front of her eyes, her back bent in an impressive curl. She held it for a less than impressive time and then kicked quickly out of the pose before the cramps lit into her muscles. She stood and faced the door where Bruce stood watching her. "Feeling better?" She asked flatly.

Bruce ground his jaw again. "Feeling something, not sure if better is the right word to describe it."

"If you don't mind I would like some privacy." She raised her eyebrows when he made no move to leave.

"This is a living room, not a workout room. You can't demand privacy in a common room." Bruce defended his unwillingness to accept exile.

"Well then you need to talk to your realtor and make sure your next invisible penthouse has a gym."

He pushed off the wall and walked past her with an appreciative glance at her body. "Why would I do that when I already have an invisible penthouse with a gym? I tried to show it to you earlier." He scolded her. "Now do you want to see the vault or don't you?"

Selina looked amused at his annoyance. "I chose don't. If you want to go in there and play around with your Bat toys than be my guest, but you don't need me for all that nonsense." Bruce narrowed his eyes at her. "Bruce for whatever reason you wanted to keep that separate from me. I'm good with that. There are things about me that I will expect the same consideration for." She turned and left the room without letting him respond. She flipped on the shower and smiled as his voice sounded behind her.

"Like what things?" He questioned.

Cat – 1; Bat – 0, She thought to herself.

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He had persisted the next morning in showing her the "vault" as he called it. It contained his Batsuits and gear along with an extensive weight training room and additional personal items, to include a bag of cash the likes of which Selina had never seen. Truthfully she had almost gone weak in the knees when he opened the duffel bag and showed her. _Maybe that was why he hadn't trusted me in there..._

Their break came a few hours later when Bruce translated a repeating thread that revealed a banking ID number. "Bingo." He looked up at her and smiled. Selina leapt up and circled around behind him looking eagerly at the screen of the computer.

"Monegasque Bank of Monaco," she read the name off the screen.

He corrected her pronunciation in fluent French and received a smack to the back of his head for his trouble. He couldn't help but grin at her. "All of the transactions started with the same bank code. This is an international bank, the money was filtered into off shore accounts in France."

"Nice work, Wayne. So we finish breaking down the individual line codes and we have each specific person involved?"

"Not that easy I'm afraid, Selina. The accounts don't translate that way. The numbers don't tie to an individual. They are just a number, a shield against prying eyes. The bank doesn't even know who the accounts belong to."

She looked at him in disbelief. "Then why are you so excited Bruce?"

He sat back in the chair and leaned back against her. "The bank doesn't know who the customers are because they choose not to learn. We drop a worm into the computer system and have it target these accounts and it will feed us all the information we need to trace the account holders. All eight of them."

Selina raised her brows at him, "How are we going to pull that trick off Bruce? These banks have firewalls and security measures that make hacking them nearly impossible."

Bruce nodded in agreement. "That they do Ms. Kyle." He took her hand off his shoulder and kissed her palm gently." If only I knew someone that had a way of getting into places that shouldn't be gotten into..." He took her other hand and repeated the kiss in that hand. "And if this person also made a habit of doing things that other people say can't be done..."

"Mr. Wayne, are you implying that you would be supportive of my breaking into an international bank…."

Bruce pursed his lips as he clasped her hands between his and pressed them gently together as he considered her words. "Well, Ms. Kyle, you wouldn't really be stealing. It's really more like recovering. It's my money anyway…and as for the information on their clients...well they forfeited the rights for me to care about that the second they laundered money from Bane's little organization."

Selina smiled. _Good for him._ "You gonna break into your giant pile of cash for first class tickets to France?"

A voice came from the doorway. "Ms. Kyle, when you own your own jet, you always fly first class." Bruce and Selina both startled as Lucius Fox stepped into the room. She tried to move away, but Bruce kept his left hand clasped securely to hers. Fox sat a paper bag and his briefcase down on the kitchen counter. "The real question is who is going to encrypt the spyware to trace the accounts?"

Bruce swallowed hard and stood slowly from the table his left hand still holding hers. "I used to have a guy that took care of those details for me."

Fox inclined his head at Bruce. "That's a coincidence; I used to work for a man that required my ability in similar instances, unfortunately I buried him yesterday." He took a moment to look at Bruce, well rested and healthy as a horse it would seem. He truthfully looked like a different man, but Fox couldn't pin it down. Maybe it was the shadow of hair on his unshaved chin, or the casual attire of jeans and a black button down.

Bruce cleared his throat. "Well, I heard he survived eight years in cryo sleep, I doubt a couple of hours in a coffin will slow him down."

Lucius nodded. "I suspect not Mr. Wayne."

Selina watched the two men closely. Bruce extended his hand and Fox took it in his. She tried again to step aside and let them have their moment, but was stopped this time by Lucius as he released Bruce's hand and took hers. "Mr. Wayne is looking better than expected today, but Ms. Kyle, you are truly are a sight for sore eyes." Selina smiled broadly as Fox embraced her warmly and kissed her cheek. The amusement sparkling in her eyes as she glanced over at Bruce. He snorted a soft laugh and shook his head and smiled in spite of himself.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Fox and Bruce spent several long hours discussing Wayne Enterprises and the current state of Gotham. Much of the same information that had been put forth in the newscasts was now substantiated from Fox's inside perspective. They went back and forth on the Wayne holding accounts and discussed the possibilities of a stock buyout as a contingency plan for the company. She quickly lost interest in their board meeting and turned her mind to more engaging pursuits. She pulled a large sketch pad from her black bag along with a small charcoal pencil. Armed with that and Wayne's laptop she retreated to the floor by the window. Leaning a shoulder against the glass she started researching her target in Monaco. As the screen loaded she looked out the window over the city and her ears perked as the conversation turned and she was listening to Fox's voice as he described how Gordon was able to throw the US Military out of Gotham. She smiled broadly; _good for him._

She thought of Meghan and was happy she had a man like Gordon watching out for her, content that she wouldn't be left to struggle alone like Selina had been forced to. Selina glanced over at Bruce and wasn't surprised to find him looking at her as well. She swallowed and gave him a faint smile. The nearly imperceptible nod as he acknowledged her almost crushed her heart.

_Where have you been all my life Mr. Wayne?_

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

She noticed Fox's shiny Oxfords as they moved into her peripheral line of sight. "Pardon me Ms. Kyle." She looked up blinking as she pulled herself out of her deep thought and saw Fox standing above her. She glanced outside and saw that the sun had moved its way through most of the sky. "Did you want a cup of coffee?" Fox offered graciously.

Selina rubbed her face and cleared her mind. "Ugh no. No thanks. I don't drink it."

Fox knelt beside her intrigued by her sketch of the interior of the bank. "Tea then, perhaps?" He gestured to the book by her knee. "May I?"

Selina nodded and quirked a small smile. "Bruce doesn't seem like a tea kind of guy."

Fox held the book in his hands, careful not to smudge the image. "He isn't, but you never know when the occasion will arise and you might need some on hand."

Selina smiled brightly at the gentlemen beside her. "Nothing wrong with being prepared for any circumstance." She used his words on him with the deeper meaning they both understood.

"Indeed. It has paid off in the past." He looked up at her for permission before turning the page.

She nodded again that he could continue. "I need to stretch my legs I think. Let me bring you something Mr. Fox?"

He glanced up at her, "Well since Mr. Wayne is making the coffee I believe I will have tea as well. Earl Grey please, hot." Selina laughed heartily at that as she walked into the kitchen. Lucius took a spot beside the window leaning his tweed sports coat against the cool pane of glass as he turned the page. He hooked a finger into his bow tie and pulled the knot loose. He unbuttoned his shirt a button as well as he settled in with her sketches.

Bruce stood watching their interaction with a mix of pride and happiness that he couldn't quite place. He watched Selina smile at Fox and he blew out a breath— _just amazing_. Sitting there in her jeans and a hunter green turtle neck; she was the essence of simple elegance. Bruce dumped water into the coffee maker and tried not to stare as she walked over to him. He accepted failure as his eyes slid up from her legs to her face as she approached. The denim did more to cover her than the leather, but he had a good imagination and a fantastic memory.

"Jealous?" Selina purred the question as she slid past him patting him gently on his rear as she went.

Bruce shook his head and laughed. "Yes, I am." He teased her back.

Fox looked up at the unfamiliar sound of Bruce's laugh, lowering his glasses as he watched his old friend. He probably could have counted the times he had seen Bruce smile in the years he had known him. Rarer yet was a laugh. But for Selina he offered it effortlessly, and more importantly—genuinely. The smile reached his eyes, and it seemed to lighten his entire being.

Fox chuckled to himself. _My, my…Mr. Wayne...I think she may have stolen more than your jewelry this time_. He shook his head and flipped the page, hesitating as he looked at the charcoal lines of the next drawing. He stared for a long moment as he looked at himself and Bruce sitting at the table. He wiped at his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. The look on both of their faces was the most honest unguarded thing he had ever seen. The bottom of the page had one word beautifully lettered across the page: Respect. Fox turned the next page with an unsteady hand. It was another of him and Bruce. Their right hands clasped in a handshake, the other griping each other's shoulders in greeting. She had captioned this one Friends.

Fox looked again at the woman in the kitchen, she was truly something special. He was grateful that Wayne hadn't taken so many knocks to the head that he wasn't able to recognize that fact. She had jumped up and was sitting on the counter fiddling with a packet of tea as the kettle steamed beside her. As she and Bruce conversed, she crossed one leg over the other and kicked them in relaxed ease. Bruce laughed again at some unheard comment and Fox wondered if she knew what she had done, the magnitude of the change he saw in Bruce already was astounding. Alfred would be beside himself at the sight of this.

 _Alfred_. His stomach clenched at the thought of the pain his old friend was going through. He was already on a flight to Florence. Fox had driven him to the airport himself after the funeral. Hell, he had bought him the damn ticket and insisted that Alfred take it. He had wanted to help him get free of Gotham; escape the memories that haunted him here. He knew Florence was Alfred's sanctuary.

When Bruce was missing Alfred had spent most of his time there in a small little house in the village. Humble living for a man that had inherited the Wayne fortune. But, Alfred had always known that Bruce would be back. Not this time though. Alfred had held on to no such hope for Bruce this time. Alfred told Lucius that Bruce had shown no interest in living since Rachel's death and he believed the Batman was the vehicle Bruce used to end his pain. His noble sacrifice in saving Gotham was nothing more than a convenient veil thrown over an assisted suicide. Bruce had no reason to live and the Batman had every reason to die.

Alfred had resigned himself to Bruce's death and his own guilt ate away at him for having failed to prevent it. Lucius couldn't bring himself to share his own opinion on that subject with Alfred. Alfred had not seen Bruce when he came back from the pit. He had come back a different man, focused and in control of himself. One of the things Bruce had said to him as they were working on the Bat was that the greatest suffering was brought to him because of the hope that Bane allowed to exist. Fox took that to heart when he was dealing with Alfred. He refused to share his hope with Alfred; the hope, the belief, that Bruce hadn't died that day. He didn't want to see the crushing effect on his friend if in fact, Bruce was truly gone. Alfred had been through so much already, losing Bruce again would be too cruel.

So, Fox had contented himself in wishing Alfred a safe trip as he handed the English gentleman keys and an address in Italy. The address belonged to a newly purchased villa with a view overlooking the bridges at Ponte Vecchio. Financially, Wayne Enterprises was on the ropes, but Fox had a personal checkbook and knew how to use it. He had used it extensively as of late in fact. The property purchase and quick rejuvenation hadn't been cheap, but it was well worth the expense. Truthfully, Alfred deserved that and more. Mostly Fox just wanted to give him a reprieve from the emotions of the months prior, and he was happy knowing Alfred would have it in the most luxurious residence in Florence.

Besides, it was nice knowing where he could get a hold of Alfred if need be. Because Fox was a man that believed in being prepared and he was very prepared for Bruce to be alive. He knew Bruce hadn't taken the easy way out, especially after seeing him with the new woman in his life battling Bane's men. The way Bruce had looked at her told Fox everything he needed to know about how Bruce felt. Then seeing the young woman staring across the bay after the explosion, she had it just as bad for him too. No. No one could have convinced him that Bruce didn't have something worth living for, if that had been the truth before, it wasn't the truth any longer.

Bruce walked over to Fox and knelt beside him holding out the antique cup filled with steaming tea. "We have chairs you know."

Fox smiled. "I know. I bought them."

Bruce saluted that fact with a lift of his own coffee cup. He took a sip and then looked more seriously at Fox, his eyes narrowing slightly. "You got something on your mind Lucius?"

Fox sipped his tea and nodded. "It occurred to me, Mr. Wayne, that Florence is only a six hour drive from Monaco."

Bruce's lips twisted into a smile. "Actually Lucius, it's only five."

Fox grinned, "If Ms. Kyle drives you might make it in four and a half."


	22. Chapter 22

She watched the men as they stood by the panoramic wall of glass that separated them from the thin air above Gotham. Fox and Wayne were a powerful combination when they got together Selina decided as she unloaded the food from the paper sack that Fox had brought them. She didn't question how he had come by fresh produce in the city, she was pretty sure she wouldn't appreciate that the rich were getting bailed out ahead of the poor and she didn't feel like fighting the emotional battle of the social classes with herself tonight.

She unwrapped a white packet that held three steaks, which she laid aside. _Three._ Her mind played with that thought for a moment as she rinsed the vegetables and pulled a cutting board out to chop the ingredients for the salad. She slid a knife out of a holder on the counter and used it to slice through the tender lettuce leaves and then moved to the cucumbers. She scowled at the knife as she slipped it through the skin of the cucumbers, not appreciating the dull nature of the blade. _So did he suspect I would find Bruce? Or that Bruce would find me? Or was he just thinking Bruce might be really hungry?_

She was lost in thought as she picked up the tomato and she absently reached behind her and flipped out a butterfly knife. The blade flashed as she twirled it gracefully against her skin locking it open in her palm. She rinsed the blade under the running water and then slipped the dripping steel into the red flesh of the ripe tomato. Flicking her wrists the blade cut expertly through the fruit as she sliced thin lines for the salad. She rinsed it again when she finished and wiped it dry on a white tea towel she had slung across her shoulder. She disengaged the blade and twirled the knife shut in a blur of flashing spinning steel. She then dropped it casually into her front jean pocket.

She glanced up and was drawn out of her thoughts as she noticed both Fox and Wayne were staring at her. "What?" she asked hesitantly, curious about the bemused expressions on their faces. Bruce smiled lightly at her and Fox just chuckled. Selina realized what she had done and looked at Bruce coolly "So let me guess, you don't like knives either?"

Xxxxxxxxxxxx

The setting was comfortable as they gathered around the small table in the kitchen. Bruce almost suggested they set the table in the larger formal dining room. But as he watched Selina and Fox chattering over the design aspects of the Batpod while he cooked the steaks, he realized nothing about this evening was standing on formalities. Fox had long since shed his sports coat and rolled up the sleeves of his button down dress shirt. Selina was pouring him another glass of wine as she looked over his shoulder at the computer screen demanding more details on the suspension system of the vehicle. Fox had been more than happy to open his briefcase and access his lap top for a detailed schematic on the bike. Selina immediately commandeered his computer and began pointing out the different aspects she wanted clarification on. Fox looked at her with unmistakable affection and Bruce didn't blame him a bit.

As they ate, the conversation twisted around to how Fox had discovered that Bruce was alive. Selina was not surprised to hear that he simply went about proving what he already believed. Starting with the assembling of the Applied Science team and his research on the software patch. Add to that the exuberant call from Gordon this morning shouting that the Bat signal had been replaced on the top of the MCU and the answer was obvious as was the possible location of Wayne. He had accessed the bandwidth data on the computer uplink and he knew Bruce was here. Selina smiled at him, "You are an amazing man, Mr. Fox."

He seemed embarrassed by the compliment and was quick to point out his faults. "You give me too much credit Ms. Kyle, I just have a systematic approach. If I was amazing I would have known you were a vegetarian and I would have brought you a wider variety of fresh vegetables. Fox baited her lightly, "But, then again, one wouldn't naturally assume that Catwoman was a vegetarian."

Bruce had been so focused on Fox that he hadn't even noticed Selina's plate. He looked over now and was surprised to see that indeed she had taken a second helping of salad instead of the steak. He immediately tried to recollect what she had eaten since they arrived and his only answer was not much. Some noodles and canned fruit. Bruce crinkled his brow. _Vegetarian._ _How the hell had I missed that? More importantly, how had Fox picked up on it before I did? It might be a good thing Fox and Selina did have such an age difference; Lucius might have given me a run for my money._

"The Catwoman," Selina said rolling her eyes at the name, but smiling as she took a bite of her salad. She placed down her fork and slipped her fingers around the delicate stem of her wine glass. She spun the globe looking thoughtfully into the pale amber liquid as she went over some of what Fox had told them. There were some things that still were nagging at her, things that still just didn't add up.

Bruce, who was now was hyper aware of everything about her, immediately noticed the look on her face. "What's on your mind Selina?"

She let the thought needle her for a moment more, not wanting to overstep the boundaries of trust with the two men, but she couldn't ignore the gut instinct that required her to ask. And really, since when had she ever been concerned with boundaries? "So let me ask you both a question, and neither of you have to answer if you don't want to. I know some of this Batman stuff is still on a need to know basis." She shot Bruce a knowing look and he absorbed the barb over the vault incident graciously, choosing to take another sip of wine rather than engage her in the presence of Fox.

"If Applied Science is off the books like you said it was and only you two knew about it, then how did Bane know where to find it?" The question hung out there between them. Selina's eyes slid from Bruce to Fox and back again to the younger man. "I mean he came right up through the floor of the damn place. How'd he know it even existed, much less know where to find it?" Another beat of silence. "I only ask because I have seen what a closed door this one is, and you," she gestured at Fox, "Well I just don't think it's your style to give up the goods on your boss, not even to his stuck up girlfriend."

Bruce and Fox looked at one another in silence; both seemed to be waiting for the other to speak up. Bruce looked seriously at the older gentlemen and stated the truth he saw in Fox's eyes. "You didn't tell Talia."

Fox shook his head and shrugged, "Honestly Bruce, I thought you had."

Selina sat back and sipped her wine as the two men considered the ramifications of this finding. Neither saying anything, but both understanding the gravity of the situation. Someone at Wayne Enterprises had compromised the security measures, and more than likely they were still in position to cause issues for the company and Bruce.

"Looks like Wayne Enterprises might have even bigger problems then we thought Lucius," Bruce stated gravely.

Fox clucked his tongue and sighed, "Well we don't want things to get too boring around the office."

Bruce dropped his hand on Selina's and looked over her. "Leave it to a cat to find a rat."

She wiggled her eyebrows at Bruce and smirked. "I do what I do, Mr. Wayne."

"Yeah? Well, you do it damn well, Selina." Bruce squeezed her hand with an unspoken gratitude.

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Selina had eventually excused herself from them, not seeing that she had anything more to offer on the subject without having knowledge of people at Wayne Enterprises. She retired to the couch to work on her upcoming bank job.

She Googled images of Monaco and thought about the different avenues of research that she would need to exhaust to be ready for the score. She felt the familiar angst and excitement growing as she contemplated the general aspects of the job. The anticipation at the prospects it presented excited her. For her, it had always been more about the process than the payoff. She smiled as she admitted to herself that the payoff was sometimes pretty fabulous. She loved the planning and preparation that went into a job. It was a rarity when things went perfect, but when they did, that was when you proved how great you really were. When the mark never even knew you were there, that was the testament of a fantastic cat burglar. One of the best she had every worked with had told her, "Selina, if you aren't days gone and continents away before they notice they have been hit, you did it wrong. " She grinned at the thought of Maurice, his old wiry frame twisting on the suspension wires as he showed her slip knots and explained entry points. He had been simply amazing. Some hours later she must have nodded off as Bruce found her curled up against the arm rest sleeping.

Bruce stood looking at her sleep on the couch then motioned for Lucius to follow him to the vault. He engaged the hall door code with a remote device under a tile on the floor. The light code box displayed promptly and Bruce typed in the code: Alfred. Lucius shut it from the other side with Pennyworth. "Mr. Wayne, I would be remiss if I didn't suggest you employ stronger passwords than the ones you are using now."

Bruce laughed, "Yeah, I have been told that before."

"Is there a reason why we are having this discussion away from Ms. Kyle?" Bruce heard the disapproval in Fox's voice when he asked the question.

Bruce nodded in affirmation, "Because it's regarding Ms. Kyle. Lucius, I need your help."

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Selina had mixed feelings as she gathered up her items from the bathroom counter top and dropped them into her small duffel bag. She was excited to be free of the confines of the penthouse and yet the trepidation of facing the real world again was weighing more heavily than she anticipated. She glanced down at the simple double Vneck dress she wore, navy blue with a bold white paisley pattern. She slipped her feet into a sexy pair of three inch pale gold heels and searched through a small collection of jewelry for a set of earrings she knew she hadn't fenced. "Where is it?" she mumbled.

"You are looking very beautiful on your last day in Gotham, Ms. Kyle." Bruce's low voice came from behind her and Selina slid her bag closed slightly as she shielded him from the view of her stolen jewelry. She was currently utilizing his Bat-vault to house her larger collection, but she still wasn't willing to get him started about the origin of her other items. She instead pulled out a belt and looked up at the mirror to see Bruce Wayne, dressed in grey slacks and a teal blue button down, neatly groomed with a stylish goatee and perfect hair. "Whoa. You're looking pretty good yourself slick." She wasn't kidding either.  _Man he is like eye candy for fat girls. Dammit._ She turned around to face him leaning against the counter admiring him without the distraction of herself in the mirror.

He could not mistake the open desire in her eyes as she looked at him and he was immediately aroused by the promises of seduction and pleasure they held. 

Bruce remembered from the night before how quickly things could get started. It had been two days since Lucius had made his appearance and he and Selina had been steadily working on preparations for their venture in Monaco. Well honestly, it was Selina that had been doing the prepping and he had been supplying her with the information via his secure uplink from the computer engines in the Batcave. She had marveled at the speed and ease that he was able to pull the information she needed. Similar fact findings in the past would have taken her weeks to compile and Bruce had it to her almost before she had finished asking for it.

In return she had patiently walked him through what she was looking at and the whys behind what she needed and the different entry points that were possibilities for the break in. He had sat back at one point and listened to her as she paced along the peripheral of the huge master suite. She was looking at a printed photo of the bank's exterior, explaining the security bypasses that the facility could be using. She glanced up at him and smiled apologetically, "Sorry, I get caught up in this stuff. It must be boring you to tears."

Bruce cleared his throat, "Actually no. It's fascinating; amazing really."

"Whatever Bruce." She blew off his comment and continued pacing the floor.

 _Selina Kyle you have no idea..._ He finally noticed that she was watching him in return, smiling as she tapped a pen against her lips. He closed the lid of the laptop and tossed it aside. Selina hooked the pen on the stack of papers and dropped them to the floor. Bruce pulled off his long sleeve charcoal polo. She skinned out of her pink cashmere sweater, both garments hit the floor…

He came back from the memory to the reality of her lips on his and her arms sliding around his neck. He felt the apprehension and anxiety of the trip ebb away some with her touch, the reassurance that leaving here wasn't the end of who they were becoming to each other. He let his hands find her face and he gently slid his palms against her skin, tilting her chin higher, exploring deeper as their tongues and lips played against one another. Fox called out his arrival from the front room and Bruce growled at the injustice. His eyes were blazing with passion and his chest rose and fell with the force of his breaths. "Dammit, he is early."

Selina kissed his jaw and slid a hand down the front of his slacks. "Better early than arriving right in the middle of things. I don't like getting interrupted."

Bruce moaned against her lips as her hand settled over him. He swallowed hard and tried to calm himself. "Stop doing that Selina or I'm not going to care that he hears us."

She smirked at his response. "We could be quiet…"

"You wouldn't be." He promised her as he captured her hand before she teased him too far. The space between them was charged with sexual tension as she slipped around him and gathered up her bag.

"Have it your way Mr. Wayne." She looked back at him through the reflection in the mirror adjusting her dress and checking her makeup. "You ready?"

Bruce took stock of his current physical condition and took a deep breath, placing a supportive arm on the sink counter. "I'm going to need a minute."

Selina smirked at his discomfort as she strutted out of the room. "I'll tell Fox you are indisposed."

"You're killing me, Selina." Bruce watched her walkout with a confusing mix of frustration and satisfaction. _You are killing me and I cannot imagine a greater way to go_.

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Selina scanned the streets as she emerged from the shadows of the parking garage. There were work crews clearing debris from the street outside the building as Gotham was beginning to reclaim itself from the carnage wrought by the League of Shadows. She waited for Fox and Wayne to follow as they were sealing the doorway and resetting perimeter security.

As the two men emerged from the garage, Fox popped the locks to his car and tossed Bruce the keys. Selina opened the back door of the white Mercedes and felt her bag being lifted off her shoulder. Fox smiled as he held the door wider for her to enter. She sat comfortably in the back and Lucius closed the door behind her. He walked around in front of the vehicle and Selina was amused to no end when Fox opened the rear door and took the seat beside her. Bruce engaged the automatic close on the trunk and it dropped revealing the seating arrangements. He nearly laughed at the situation.

 _Outmatched and outgunned, two phrases that have rarely applied to you Wayne._ He dropped into the driver's seat, "You two comfortable?"

"Indeed Mr. Wayne," came Fox's response.

Selina had handed over her sketch book again to Lucius and she met Bruce's eyes in the mirror. "Very comfortable. Yourself?"

Bruce pressed his lips together and adjusted in his seat as he pulled out of the parking space. "I'm getting used to being uncomfortable actually. "

Selina snickered as the vehicle sped down the street. Traffic was still light as they motored quickly to a private air strip in North Gotham.

Fox and Selina chatted over her drawings. Lucius commented on the new ones she had done of the Gotham skyline. Bruce glanced back in the mirror, slightly put off that she had never showed him her drawings. He had asked her about them and she just said they were doodles and would cover the page when he tried to look.

They arrived at the air strip in short order. Selina looked at the jet and was mildly surprised that it wasn't fancier and that it didn't have Wayne Enterprises stenciled the side.

Bruce lowered his sunglasses as he too assessed the aircraft. Fox defended himself against any feedback that Bruce intended to give him over the transportation. "It wouldn't do for you two to fly into Monaco attracting too much attention Mr. Wayne. This is how a self-respecting _millionaire_ would fly. Which is who you are pretending to be. Or rather, who Ms. Kyle is pretending to be." He handed her an envelope, "You are Leslie Pendergrass, heir to Pendergrass Technology. He handed Bruce a similar envelope over his shoulder, you are a guy she's dating, and her father doesn't approve by the way. That being said you shouldn't be picky about what type of aircraft flies you to France so long as the lady keeps you tagging along."

Bruce raised his eyebrows at Lucius, looking at him in the reflection of the mirror. "Sounds like you gave this a lot of thought Fox. Do I have a name?"

Lucius nodded, "Of course, it's on the cards Mr. Wayne."

Bruce shook his head at the good natured teasing he was suffering at the hands of his longtime partner. He realized he deserved far worse punishment for having put him through what he had over the past few days. He split open the envelope and glanced at the documents. "Really Lucius? 'Rex Speedman'? I sound like a porn star."

"They call them adult entertainers now I believe." He corrected the younger man. "I have your background as an insurance salesman, but I could rework the bio Mr. Speedman?" Fox offered his assistance.

Bruce rolled his eyes, "No Fox, this is fine. The further away from who I am, the better. I don't want to advertise that I'm alive right off the bat."

"Bat," Selina snickered under her breath. Fox chuckled at his employer's expense.

"I am going to miss your company Ms. Kyle," Lucius stated the fact frankly as he kissed the back of her hand.

"See you in a week?" Selina looked at him hopefully as she fished for him to confirm his intentions to meet them in Italy.

Fox squeezed her hand, "If not sooner."

Selina flashed a bright smile. "Make it sooner, Mr. Fox."

Bruce watched their exchange, feeling a familiar twist in his chest that came when he saw the two of them together. There was an honest and pure connection that the two had with each other. He could tell how they felt about one another and Bruce felt another piece of his heart sacrifice itself to Selina Kyle. Fox stepped out of the car and walked around to her side. Selina met Bruce's eyes in the rear view mirror and they held on to each other for a moment. "It's official Bruce, I love him."

He nodded. "I know you do Selina. I do too." She smiled softly at him as Fox opened the door for her and took her hand to help her from the vehicle. Bruce shut off the engine and pulled out the key. He glanced in the back to make sure that she hadn't forgotten anything and saw a sketch lying across the black leather seat. He picked it up and held it for a long moment just staring at the detailed lines. It was a of Fox and himself standing in front of the penthouse window, Gotham as their backdrop. Wayne tower was visible in the skyline between them. The title of the sketch was Protectors with a simple SK curled in the corner of the page. It was amazing to him that she could capture their emotions with strokes of charcoal on paper, but it was there. Everything they were feeling exposed on their faces remembered forever on the paper in his hands. He shook his head in wonder, she was laying waste to him and she didn't even know it. She had sliced her initials into him as surely as she had marked the parchment with her pencil.

The steps to the plane dropped down and Lucius gave direction to the pilot as Bruce waited for his cue to board. Fox dismissed the staff from the area and the pilot taxied the plane in a small circle to face the airstrip. Selina looked over at him and he saw the first sign of nervousness on her face. Bruce slid on his sunglasses and popped open the door not waiting for Fox to give him the signal. Clicking the trunk button as he closed the door he pulled his heavy bag out effortlessly and was already walking across the airstrip as he clicked the button to close the lid. He crossed the tarmac in quick, long strides, his eyes never leaving Selina.

Fox smiled as he watched Bruce headed their way, "Mr. Wayne is not a man of great patience."

Selina smiled knowingly back at her new friend. "He is too used to getting what he wants."

Fox shook his head, "I hope who he wants, wants him back."

Selina looked at him and shot him straight, "She does."

"He is a lucky lucky man, Ms. Pendergrass." Fox smiled at her when he used her alter ego. He walked her to the steps leading up the aircraft and wrapped her in a strong embrace. "Enjoy France. I will be awaiting your lists of specifics to bring over. I have already taken a liberty and started the team on some upgrades for your gear."

Selina grinned at the prospects of Fox's upgrades. "I will get the information to you as quickly as I know what I need. Take care Fox." She hugged him again tightly and whispered, "I left you a memento in the car." Bruce and Lucius shared a look of understanding over her shoulder as he held the young woman. They were both invested in this one and both expected the other to do what it took to see to her safety. Selina accepted her bag from his hand and walked up the steps of the plane.

Fox and Wayne stood for a moment, letting the distance increase between her and them, allowing the sound of the engines to fill the space with noise. "You get what I asked for Mr. Fox?"

"I did at that. Can't say I am a big fan of the cave Mr. Wayne, little damp for my taste." He handed a small black box over to Bruce.

Bruce looked at his friend gratefully, trading him the keys to his Mercedes. "Lucius, I can't ever thank you enough for what you've done, everything you continue to do for me. For the company, now…" He glanced up at the plane.

Fox put a hand on his shoulder. "Bruce, it is one of my true pleasures in life to be a part of what your father started at Wayne Enterprises. But, helping you has been where I finally found my purpose. You don't have to thank me for that." They hugged each other hard as they both came to grips with what they had been through over the past months.

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Selina was silent for a long time after takeoff just watching Gotham from the air as it grew smaller and smaller. She relaxed back into her seat and looked over at Bruce. He was staring down at his hands.

He felt overwhelmed with it all; Gotham, Bane, Rachel, Fox, Alfred, Gordon, Blake, Talia. For years he had hidden away from feeling anything. Then fate found him. He was struggling to process through it all. He thought of his parents, the bats, the opera, that night when everything changed. He rubbed absently at his temples.

Selina unhooked her safety belt and walked over to him, sliding into the seat next to him she pressed up against his thigh and shoulder. He looked up at her quietly and his eyes seemed so haunted and lost that Selina couldn't help but mirror the pain in her own. "Bruce?"

He put a hand over hers and rolled on the head rest to look at her fully. She extended the silence as they simply took comfort in the presence of one another. He sighed and brought his hand to her face, clearing a small twist of hair from her cheek. His touch was the faintest of fingertips, brushing her skin and she found her entire being concentrated on that faint presence of his hand. His eyes slid shut as she moved her lips to his. His mouth was a soft whisper of skin against hers, delicate and light as they drifted beneath her. "Bruce, come with me." She tugged at his hand. Bruce didn't require much encouragement to follow as he trailed willingly behind her.

She slid open the door to a full sized cabin, decked out with a bed and full bath. Bruce smiled wanly as he rubbed a hand across the back of his neck. _Fox had done well with this charter after all_. Selina turned to him and slipped the buttons of his shirt open, taking a moment to undo those at the wrists as well. He moved to take off her belt and received a hand slap for his trouble. He raised an eyebrow to her and she smiled. That's not what we are here for."

Bruce let her pull off his shirt and watched as she hung it carefully behind the door. His eyes dropped to the heels she was wearing, little bows across the back as they laced across her ankles. _I wonder if she would mind keeping those on while we._..he imagined her leg slung over his shoulder, those heels digging into his back. _Shit she had been talking to me._ He lifted his eyes up sheepishly and found her smirking at him.

"I said take these." She handed him two pills and he tossed them back with a swallow of water. "Lay down on the bed, on your stomach please," she ordered him nicely.

 _A massage?_ He smiled in appreciation, she did have amazing hands and he was feeling like crap. He looked at her again feeling the stirs of passion, but he wasn't feeling _that_ bad. "You mind if I...?" He gestured to his remaining attire.

She shrugged, "Suit yourself, Mr. Speedman." She laughed when he narrowed his eyes at the name.

He kicked off his leather shoes and then his socks. His eyes returned to her as he unfastened his belt and trousers. He slid them off and tossed them across the dressing chair near the closet. He stood clad only in his dark grey boxer briefs.

Selina kept the half smile on her face and he looked at her expectantly. She pointed at the bed and he smirked as he obeyed her and crawled over the comforter and slid between the sheets on his stomach. Selina followed his lead as she unfastened her belt and unclasped her dress at the hip. It unwrapped obligingly and she stepped out of it easily. She was wearing white lace underneath a short cupped bra that she was spilling out of and white garters and what Wayne could only hope was a thong. _I am not facing the right direction for this at all._ She bent to remove her heels and the view of her breasts was so amazing that he couldn't bring himself to stop what she was doing. He shifted uncomfortably as she crawled across the bed toward him. "Selina, can we maybe just..."

She straddled him across his hips and pushed him down to the pillow. "Who is this Selina you keep talking about, Rex? Should I be jealous?"

He groaned in frustration. When her hands went to work on his shoulders and neck she had him groaning again. She worked the muscles under her strong hands as he let his eyes shut and just relaxed to the sound of the engines and the soft sway of the plane as it slipped through the clouds winging them to France. After several long minutes under her ministrations he felt himself letting go of the tension and anxiety that he had been carrying most of the day. He kissed her hand, as she worked on his left shoulder, worrying a small knot of muscle until it released the tension. Her familiar sent filled his nose and he smiled faintly.

She felt his body go lax as he drifted off to sleep. She continued on with her touch, lightening gradually as she took care not to wake him. She smiled as she slid over beside him and pulled the sheet over them both. Nine hours from now they would be landing in France. Bruce had amends to make with Alfred and she had a bank to break into. She smiled lightly as she listened to his breathing deepen as he slipped further under, knowing it was less of her ability to give a massage than it was the migraine medicine Fox had slipped her in the car that had put him out. She let her mind drift as she thought about how much her life had changed over the past few days; she almost didn't recognize herself anymore. Almost like she already had a clean slate, but that wasn't the case.

Her face darkened as the reoccurring fear arose in her mind. All of this with Bruce was just a fantasy, a beautiful interlude before she had to face the reality of who she really was, what her future really held. The clean slate was a great tool for someone that wanted to disappear—start fresh, but Bruce was intent on recapturing his life back in Gotham. Where would that leave her? She was an escaped prisoner from Blackgate, facing felony charges for kidnapping and aggravated assault of a United States Congressman. Unless the clean slate had the power to cause mass amnesia and was able to erase the hard copies of files possessed by GPD she wasn't ever going to be able to show her face in Gotham without going back to jail to face trial. The few weeks she had spent incarcerated awaiting arraignment had been torture, she couldn't chance that she would get sentenced to real time there and she was looking down the barrel of eleven years minimum.

She looked over at Bruce. _Where did it leave them? More importantly, where did that leave him?_ She watched over him with protective eyes as she felt the threads of fear winding through her heart. Fear made people do stupid things she reminded herself, but she was not able to shake the dread and trepidation that she felt when she thought of her possible future. Her throat closed and her eyes burned as the first warm tear tracked down her cheek.

-The End-

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TBC in Demons in the Dark

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v This story is available with photo accompaniment on Tumblr: http://www.tumblr.com/blog/slingblade125batcat

...OLD STORIES NEED LOVE TOO! If you enjoyed it- review and let me know- If you thought it sucked let me know that too! Although ...if you thought it sucked you sure did stick it out to the end- either way you made it- way to go!

Thanks for taking the time to read I hope it entertained you! If you have ideas for one shots (parts you want to see fleshed out) make your requests! I always have time for some Bruce and Selina :)

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Authors note: Dark of Day- It wasn't the story Gotham deserved , but it was the one that i needed write now haha.

I did love writing it to! It kept the characters alive for me (i am totally not willing to face that the trilogy is concluded). I hope that you enjoyed reading it as well. HUGE SHOUT OUT TO CHEED! The offer of beta reader/editor of this story made a massive difference in the quality of the story. Any errors remaining I own- you did so much to refine this and correct my mistakes I just can't thank you enough!

I wanted to also thank everyone that reviewed and cared about the characters as they developed in the story. Your words were instrumental in my plot development and help me keep true to the characters (as best i could)

Special thanks to Landscaper01 who as well as being a fantastic writer- is also a fantastic person. You helped me through some angst with my story and also introduced me to tumblr which has ENRICHED MY LIFE TO NO END! I look forward to every sentence written by this author.

Also thanks to my long time readers that supported the story by kicking my butt and encouraging me when I needed it...mnogood4me /kindleflame5/ abelard /KLCtheBookWorm /chipsnopotatoes /Spock Uhura Fan /WinterRain36 anyone I may have overlooked please forgive me.

Thanks again

Slingblade125


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